Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel: 'Chelsea don't need squad harmony to succeed'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 31 December 2021

Head coach Thomas Tuchel says that Chelsea do not require a united squad to succeed, amid comments from Romelu Lukaku that he is unhappy at Stamford Bridge.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel has claimed that Chelsea are still capable of having a successful season without the squad being in full harmony.

Tuchel's pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture with Liverpool was dominated by questions regarding the future of Romelu Lukaku.

On Thursday evening, it was revealed that the summer arrival had said in an interview held several weeks ago that he was currently unhappy at Stamford Bridge.

While acknowledging that he "did not like" the comments from the Belgian, Tuchel has played down the need for every player to be happy in his dressing room.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Tuchel said: "The dressing room does not always have to be in harmony. It's absolutely not necessary to be successful. We don't have to hug each other, love each other every single day. Sometimes it is good to be on the edge, sometimes it can be good to have disharmony and it is inbetween certain boundaries.

"The thing is Romelu is that I don't think anybody in this building is aware that he is unhappy, and that is what makes us very surprised at his statements. First of all we need to check because I can see no reason why this should be like this. And that's all I can say on this, and must wait to see what Romelu says and we will deal with it."

Lukaku has scored in each of his last three starts since December 8, taking his tally to the season to seven strikes in all competitions.