Tammy Abraham is currently missing that ‘little bit of luck’ required to spearhead Chelsea’s attack, Thomas Tuchel believes.
The England international, 23, is leading the Blues’ scoring charts with 12 goals in all competitions, but was dropped from the match-day squad for Sunday’s goalless draw with Manchester United.
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Abraham was an unused substitute in last week’s 1-0 Champions League win against Atletico Madrid, and before that was hauled off at half-time during the 1-1 draw at Southampton.
Blues boss Tuchel continues to insist his selection decisions have not been pointed in any way against Abraham, but did concede that the 23-year-old has been missing a level of fortune lately.
“He lacks a little bit of luck, Tammy, not only in games but also in training,” Tuchel said.
“And once the last touch comes back, and he’s fighting for it now, he will stay a player that we will push for.
“It’s my job to push him to his limits and we will not stop doing this in supporting him.
“We have to cut it down to 18 players, so in the end it’s not always a punishment or a signal to a player who is not in the squad.
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“And in this case it was exactly like this. It was not a punishment or a signal, it was just a choice from the alternatives, on which position who starts, who could come from the bench.”
Abraham’s last Premier League goal came in the 3-1 win over Arsenal on Boxing Day, but the academy graduate has registered four FA Cup goals in 2021.
Olivier Giroud led Chelsea’s line both against Atletico and United.
Abraham’s current deal at Chelsea expires in 2023, and West Ham and Aston Villa among others are said to be closely monitoring his Stamford Bridge situation.
“This was a tough decision, but when things are like now, with hopefully nobody injured, we have these decisions to make,” Tuchel said.
“It’s a part of my job which I do not like, but at the same time I like because it means we have everybody available.
“And then you have to take these decisions, which we communicate normally clearly.”
Chelsea will face Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday with both teams battling to climb back into the top four.
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