Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said "it is not the time to laugh about" Romelu Lukaku after the £97.5m striker's recent struggles.

Lukaku only touched the ball seven times in Saturday's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, the lowest number any player has managed in a 90-minute Premier League appearance since at least 2003, when that data was first recorded.

"He's in the spotlight and we'll protect him. Romelu will always be part of the solution," Tuchel said.

"Sometimes it's like this with strikers if they struggle a little bit with self-confidence and to find the space to get involved with a good defensive side.

"Of course it's not what we want and what Romelu wants but it's also not the time to laugh about him and make jokes about him."

Belgium striker Lukaku, 28, has only managed five Premier League goals in 17 appearances since rejoining Champions League holders Chelsea this summer, scoring another five in other competitions.

He has yet to score a league goal in 2022 since being dropped for a game following an interview that appeared critical of the club.

He netted twice in the recent Fifa Club World Cup, including the final win over Palmeiras.

Other big-money strikers to struggle for goals at Chelsea compared to their strike-rate elsewhere include Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres and Lukaku's current team-mate Timo Werner.

"There is a history of strikers struggling at Chelsea so it may not be the easiest place in the world for strikers," Tuchel said.

"In my opinion, Chelsea are a team considered a strong defensive team, a physical team, that has a certain attitude when in competitive football. We demand a lot of our strikers in terms of defending."

Tuchel was speaking before Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg tie with Lille. (BBC)

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