Paolo Di Canio says Romelu Lukaku has shown weakness with the recently aired interview, thus slamming the Belgian for ‘arriving with arrogance’.
The fallout from Romelu Lukaku’s interview on Sky Sports rumbles on as more experts slam the Belgian for his behaviour. He has left behind the prolific form he showed in Serie A over two seasons, the forward has been sub-par after a promising start to life back at Chelsea.
Sure, injuries have affected his return to Stamford Bridge, but his profligacy has cost Chelsea points along the way in some cases. The Blues have slipped considerably out of the reckoning for the Premier League title, with Manchester City opening a substantial gap at the top.
Lukaku looked to have regained his scoring form, netting in consecutive games. However, in an interview with Sky Sports Italia,he slammed manager Thomas Tuchel’s approach towards coaching. His words certainly stirred the pot with the manager and the club, who decided to axe him from the matchday squad against Liverpool.
The Belgian is simply ‘creating noise’ was Tuchel’s response to the debacle, who insisted the striker was happy at the club. Former Liverpool great Graeme Souness added Lukaku’s comments had damaged the club and the manager while lamenting his lack of maturity about the situation.
West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has lambasted the striker, insisting he has shown a ‘weakness’ after just six months at the club. His comments appeared on Sport Witness via Calciomercato, where he insisted that Chelsea could play better without the Belgian in the side.
Di Canio said, “The player is not aware of what he said; I saw the weakness of an athlete who gives up after 6-months of the Premier League, where he arrived with arrogance. He co-starred in a Scudetto that Inter would have won even by fielding Zapata. At Chelsea, European champions, in a Premier League ten times harder than Serie A, he is one of many.
“He didn’t understand anything, if he thought he was number one; indeed, the team played much better without him. He is a fragile player, who would like to escape. He scored a sensational own goal with those words, he made a disaster.”
After being left out from the squad on Sunday, it remains to be seen if this exile from first-team duties continues or if Tuchel decides on an imminent recall. With the need to bring in fresh legs after a difficult few weeks with fitness and Covid, a return for Lukaku might make sense for the upcoming ties. However, the club could prolong their decision and punish the striker for a longer period.
