Ben Stewart
Where it went wrong for Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea
After sealing a record-breaking return to Stamford Bridge last summer, no one could have predicted the Belgian leaving the club just 12 months later.
We’ve dived into the stats to find out where it went wrong for Lukaku at Chelsea and whether or not he can get back to his best at Inter Milan.
How did Inter Milan use him?
In Lukaku’s final season with Manchester United something clearly seemed off despite him still chipping in with 12 league goals.
Inter Milan took a gamble on the striker and signed him for a club record fee of around €80 million.
Antonio Conte had a clear playstyle in mind when it came to Lukaku and he knew exactly how to get the best out of him.
In his debut season in Italy Lukaku finished as Inter’s top goalscorer with 23 goals in 36 appearances.
Antonio Conte predominantly set his side up in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Lukaku alongside Lautaro Martínez leading the line.
This dynamic forward line allowed Inter to be fluid in their attacks and get plenty of shots away each game.
In the 19/20 season Inter averaged over 16 shots per 90 with Lukaku averaging 2.8 shots each match. For context, this season at Chelsea he has averaged just 1.8 shots per game.
Inter’s attacking philosophy regularly allowed Lukaku to run in behind and have plenty of one-on-one opportunities with the goalkeeper.
The 20/21 season was another successful one for Lukaku at Inter as he hit 24 league goals as Inter Milan won the Serie A title.
Alongside his goalscoring, Lukaku also chipped in with 11 assists which was his best creative season to date.
Lukaku averaged 1.4 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game at Inter, numbers which have more than halved in his time at Chelsea.
Where did he go wrong with Chelsea?
Lukaku started the 21/22 season quite well with Chelsea as he led the line against Arsenal and scored on his debut as they won 2-0 away at the Emirates.
He soon followed that up with a brace against Aston Villa in a 3-0 victory, but after that moment something was clearly off at Chelsea.
The Belgian striker then went on a drought where he scored just two goals across the next 20 Premier League matches.
Everything that made Lukaku an unstoppable force in Italy seemed to be stripped away from him at Chelsea.
Lukaku averaged just 1.7 shots per game, which was less than Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.
With Lukaku’s stuttering form throughout the season, Thomas Tuchel often opted to line up with Kai Havertz up front in a false-nine system.
Lukaku ultimately finished the Premier League season with just eight goals, his lowest return since he has been an established starter.
His lack of goals can’t be put down to wastefulness either as he actually overperformed his xG by 0.9 goals, which suggests he was taking shots on from low quality areas.
What’s next for Lukaku?
Inter Milan seem keen enough to give Lukaku a second chance on a season-long loan deal for the 22/23 season.
Inter Milan narrowly missed out on the Serie A title last season to their arch rivals AC Milan.
Simone Inzaghi’s side were the top scoring side in Italy last season as they scored 83 league goals.
Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martínez was the preferred partnership last season although it looks like the 36-year-old Dzeko may depart the San Siro this summer.
Lukaku enjoyed two of his best seasons with Inter Milan and they will be looking to unlock that potential once again and snatch the Serie A title back from their rivals.