Thomas Tuchel insists he didn’t regret his decision starting both Lukaku and Werner.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted he has no regrets over starting Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner against Malmo in the Champions League despite the Chelsea strike duo facing a spell on the sidelines.
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku suffered an ankle problem in their 4-0 Champions League win over Malmo at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, Werner also left Stamford bridge with a hamstring injury as Chelsea suffers blow.
Tuchel admitted however that the Blues will have to do without Lukaku and Werner for several weeks after their injuries but insisted he had made the right call to pitch both men into the midweek west London clash.
“If I knew what would happen beforehand I would not have done it but how can you know it before?” said Tuchel.
“It was necessary that Romelu was on the pitch. He started strong, I spoke to him about it, about mental fatigue carried around with him.
“But he’s our number nine and our reference up front. And the best thing for mental fatigue is a goal. We knew we could be the dominant team with Mason (Mount) and Timo around him and him as the reference up front.
“And I had the strong belief that he could turn things around in terms of scoring and being decisive.
“He was super strong in our start and did that. He took the foul to win the first penalty, so maybe without him it’s not 2-0. I don’t regret it because it’s not a muscle injury.
“It was the moment to give him confidence and let him play and I don’t regret it. These things can happen and it’s bad luck. Maybe I don’t know much more than anyone else about the injuries. Romelu twisted his ankle on the foul in the box, and Timo has a hamstring injury.
“It will take a while for both of them, and we will need more examinations to be precise. But they will be out for some matches.”
