After only seven touches against Crystal Palace, Thomas Tuchel says it's "not the time to laugh" about Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku set a new Premier League record for the fewest(7) touches by a player who has played a full 90-minute game since Opta began tracking statistics in the 2003-04 season.
The Belgium international had only seven touches in Saturday's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, and one of those came from the kick-off.
Tuchel responded when asked how he can get Lukaku to touch the ball more often: "What should I do? I'm not sure. We must deal with it." The data is available, and the data speaks a specific language. He was not involved in our game, which is common with strikers. It can be like this if they struggle a little with self-confidence, finding the space and getting involved against a good defensive side "It's not what we want, nor is it what Romelu wants, but it's also not the time to laugh at him or make jokes about him. He's in the spotlight, but we'll keep him safe."
Lukaku has five goals in 17 Premier League appearances this season since joining from Inter Milan for 97.5 million last summer.
Tuchel, who is preparing for Lille's visit to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, says the 28-year-old is not the first striker to struggle at Stamford Bridge and that the system Chelsea employs may be to blame.
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