It's not time to laugh at Romelu Lukaku and we will protect him, reveals Thomas Tuchel

Romelu Lukaku arrived at Chelsea from Inter in the previous summer for his second spell at the club after leaving the London club as a youngster. The Belgian has undergone spells at Everton, Manchester United, and Inter where he developed his game and became one of the most prolific strikers in European football at the moment.

The London club sealed the deal to bring the Belgian back to Stamford Bridge for club record fee with the aim to spearhead a title challenge through the striker. The Belgian international has made 28 appearances for the Blues while scoring ten goals across all competitions. Lukaku has only scored five goals in 17 Premier League appearances and has struggled to repeat his heroics from Italy.

Lukaku only managed seven touches in his last appearance in the 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday and has received criticism from all quarters. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has leapt to the defense of his star forward.

"There is a history of strikers struggling a little bit at Chelsea so it may not be the easiest place in the world for strikers. I don't know why it's like this. In my opinion, Chelsea are a team considered a strong defensive team, a physical team, that has a certain attitude when in competitive football,” Tuchel told Sky Sports.

"We demand a lot of our strikers in terms of defending. We want to be a physical, hard-working group that wants to play a physical game and a skilful game. That maybe plays a part. It's not what we want or Romelu wants, but it's also not the time to laugh about him and make jokes about him. He's in the spotlight but we will protect him,” he added.