Romelu Lukaku was dropped for the crucial game againstLiverpool despite his controversial interview, but according to Paul Merson, it was wrong.
In an interview with Sky in Italy that was recorded a few weeks ago but first aired last Thursday, Lukaku said he was unhappy with his role at the club and would like to return to Inter Milan in the near future.
The forward was left out of the squad for the title clash with the Reds because he apologized for his comments, but he is in contention to play against Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
The two dropped points left the Blues 10 points behind Manchester City and they need a shock reversal of fortune to reignite their title challenge.
Sky Sports pundit Merson explains why he was not impressed with the decision of Tuchel to keep a record signing out of the game, and looks ahead to a huge London derby as Antonio Conte makes his first return to the club.
The biggest game of the season should have been played by Lukaku.
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Gary said that Romelu should apologize to his teammates for disrupting their preparations for the game.
Merson said that the handling of the Lukaku situation was not a victory for Tuchel. Why would it be a victory?
The chance of winning the title was lost when they lost to the Reds. He chopped his nose off to spite his face, but they had to beat Manchester City to have any chance.
"Lukaku is going to play for the Blues again, so why not play him against the Reds?" It's not like he won't play for the club again. If that was the case, I could understand, but if not, why do it?
A message from Romelu.
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January 4, 2022.
I think you should play him and throw him to the wolves. If he doesn't play well, the fans will let him know. I would have gone that way.
It's been too easy for him. He's said what he wanted to say, he's been dropped, and will come back for a lesser game, and everything will be fine.
He should have been in the lineup against the Reds. It was the most important game of the season.
Tuchel was saved from a lot of trouble by the fightback.
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Thomas Tuchel says that Romelu Lukaku is in contention to face Spurs on Wednesday, and that he has apologized for his comments.
I don't understand the debate around this. You can't do this or that if you're talking about 'Tuchel did the right thing'. Why? They are paying a lot of money to a player. He needs to play in big games.
I understand if he never plays for the club again. If he doesn't want to be at the club, he should be thrown out. I can understand that. He is going to play for the same team again.
They dropped him for the game to have any chance of winning the title.
There is not a lot of craziness, only the fact that the two teams drew 2-2. The decision to leave Lukaku out was papered over in the end.
Tuchel should have played the game. It was the biggest game of the season.
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Paul Merson is a musician.
It was a disgrace that Romelu said that, but he needed to beat the Reds.
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Despite expressing his unhappiness with his time at the club, he won't be leaving in the near future according to Dharmesh Sheth.
I think he deserved a big fine and then you get him out on the field. The fans can make their own decision. The manager will be gone before the fans, so let them make their own decisions.
They will let him know. Don't worry about that. If he doesn't pull his weight, he'll know about it and you don't want that. It was easy to sit out of the biggest game and not face the best centre-half in the world.
When he's left out, what are the consequences? He should not have said what he said. They had to win the football match against the Reds.
They just bought a player for £90m. He is the biggest signing. He was bought for the big games. He was bought to face the Reds, not the Seagulls. It was an easy choice to leave him out and I bet he was surprised. He needed a trial from the fans.
The only chance of winning the title was if Man City beatLiverpool. I would be shocked if they won it here.
That's why they needed to play him. They needed him and they needed to win the game.
This video interview was three weeks ago. It wasn't done yesterday. It wasn't done on the eve of the game.
The Spurs game is huge for Tuchel and the rest of the team.
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There are highlights from the game between the two teams in the premier league.
The Spurs game is a very important one for the Blues.
The rivalry between these two teams makes this game their biggest of the season. If it is a friendly, the game between Spurs and the Blues is a big one. It is huge to put it into a semi-final over two legs. You can't start resting players for this game.
You make this game even more interesting by having Antonio Conte return to the bridge. It's a big football match.
"This is a chance to win a trophy."
It's a must-win game for Tuchel.
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Antonio Conte is the head coach of Spurs and he won the title at his previous club, the Blues.
Thomas Tuchel has to win this game.
"He's not under pressure because of the win, but if Man City win next week, they'll be a million points behind them."
You cannot be behind when you've built a team that strong and you've bought a centre-forward for £90m. It's huge for Spurs as well. When was the last time they won anything? It was a long time ago.
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The Carabao Cup semi-finals will be a reunion of sorts for the two men.
It's a huge opportunity. Imagine if Spurs won the cup from where they were. It's a huge chance for all the teams.
If they aren't already out of the title race, they could be out of the title race next week. It just takes the pressure off if you have a final to look forward to.
Sky Sports has a guide to follow the game.
Sky Sports Football has a live match between Spurs and Blues from 7.45pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips on the website and app.
The Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football channel will show highlights after the final whistle.
