Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has thrown his support behind Romelu Lukaku after the striker was dropped to the bench against Lille on Tuesday night.
Lukaku teased a return to form during the Club World Cup with goals in the semi-final and final but a performance against Crystal Palace that saw him touch the ball just seven times in 90 minutes brought old concerns back.
On Tuesday, Tuchel made the big decision to drop him from his starting XI for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge.
Ahead of kick-off, Tuchel insisted that the reason for Lukaku being dropped was due to fatigue.
"[It was an] Indirect result of that [Palace], I think he was tired, a little bit exhausted, lot of extra time, lot of travelling like some of the players," the German said when explaining the decision.
"It was a difficult game for him so maybe it is easier for him to come from the bench and turn things around if needed."
The Belgian was ultimately not missed as goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic secured the Blues a 2-0 lead ahead of the second-leg in three weeks time.
After the match, club captain Azpilicueta addressed the press and was asked about Lukaku and the Spaniard threw his support behind the striker.
“We can’t forget Romelu is a very important player for us – at the Club World Cup, he scored two goals, one in the semi-final and one in the final," Azpilicueta told football.london.
"In the last game, the team performance maybe was not our greatest but we won and we want to improve our game. Romelu, I have no doubts, is an important player for us.
"The manager made the decision [against Lille] to have him on the bench and play other players, but he will be the first one who will want to show his qualities and I don’t doubt he will be a key player for us. Romelu will show his ability straight away, of course."
