‘If they can figure out how to use Lukaku, then Chelsea can become the team to beat in the Champions League this season.’Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
Antonio Conte does not believe Chelsea have worked out how to use Romelu Lukaku and claimed Thomas Tuchel is not getting the best out of him.
Lukaku re-joined Chelsea for a club record £98million in the summer and made a fast start with four goals in his first four games.
However, Conte, who worked with Lukaku at Inter Milan, thinks there is more to come from the striker and believes Chelsea need to use him differently after he failed to score for a third game in a row following the Blues’ 1-0 Champions League defeat against Juventus on Wednesday.
He is already at a very high level, but a player must keep improving until the day he retires.
‘During the game, there are moments when Lukaku needs to be turned on, but other than that he is one of the toughest forwards to play against, because he can do damage in any area of the pitch.
If you have a centre-forward like that, you need to use him and I don’t think Chelsea have quite figured out how to use him yet” Conte said in his interview.
Last season, they didn’t have a proper centre-forward, so they rotated positions, whereas Romelu is a real reference point in attack.
Conte guided Inter to their first Serie A title in 10 years last season, with Lukaku scoring 24 goals in the process.
He is a very specific striker. Bringing Lukaku into the box, he is dangerous. However, when he starts from midfield, he is incredibly quick. It is very difficult to find a player who is both a target man, but can also run from midfield.
‘If they can figure out how to use Lukaku, then Chelsea can become the team to beat in the Champions League this season.’Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
