Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel, three devils whose sporting situation in the club worries or in any case raises questions. Between a shock media outing accompanied by a sanction at Chelsea, a slower-than-expected return from injury at City, and a lost starting status at Dortmund, these executives of our national team are starting a crucial year 2022 but with a few points of improvement. interrogation.
Which we submitted to our RTBF Consultant Phillip Albert, as well as Robert Martinez regarding Romelu Lukaku.
Punchline, sanctions, apologies then return to the front, is Lukaku’s future still at Chelsea?
Is the Lukaku ‘Saga’ over at Chelsea? ? Not sure ! In an interview with Sky Italia, the attacker of Blues reiterated his attachment to the’Inter, but also his frustration at Chelsea, with in passing a criticism of his Manager Thomas Tuchel. Club’s response: dismissal + heavy fine. Player reaction: apologies and promises of a comeback. Tuchel forgave, Romelu played again.
All is not rosy, however, far from it, for our black-yellow-red striker. Coming out of the defeat against Manchester City on Saturday, the Manager of the Blues had very harsh words for Big Rom.
Our consultant Philippe Albert gives us his point of view on his December media release.
“This is modern football, a game between player, media, club, coach. Romelu gave a very frank interview, and it falls on him. I wouldn’t say he was tricked, but sometimes the truth isn’t always good to say. He made a small mistake, he admitted it, he apologized. I hope he will learn from it.
I understand the reaction of Tuchel and Chelsea. Lukaku cost 115 million, he must be irreproachable, on the ground but also in his communication.
Everyone has an interest in turning the page of this unfortunate episode
I hope there will be nothing untoward from this episode. Everyone has an interest in it, in particular the club, which in the event of tension with the player should part with it and regain part of its bet. And then Chelsea needs an N9 for the rest of his season.
And for Romelu, humanly and sportingly it would be a shame.
So his future stays with Chelsea, and I don’t worry about him.”.
Robert Martinez also has his opinion on the matter. And of course the Mentor of the Devils does not condemn his N9, he even underlines some of his merits. “We need to calm down a bit. I think we are all aware that a statement in the media can be taken out of context and of its time. Romelu gave this interview in Italy. Then it was translated and it caused controversy. That we exaggerated. But I think the way he handled it was pretty solid. He showed how sorry he was. He faced up, he didn’t hide. He apologized to his fans. After that, he got back to playing and took responsibility. It is a very responsible attitude. Lukaku has finally cemented his bond with Chelsea. And it shows on the field. I did not have the opportunity to discuss it with him, and it was not necessary.
But it is a good example for all young players: when you do something that is made public, that causes harm, it is important to clarify it, to recognize it, to take responsibility and to move on. before”.
When will Kevin De Bruyne be back to his best?
Is the end of the tunnel near for KDB? His 5* performance on Saturday against Chelsea, accompanied by a superb goal, can suggest it. But the road is probably longer than expected, because KDB has come a long way. There was this injury at the Euro (ankle), then a relapse after an attempt to return, and finally the Covid. During this time, Bernard Silva and Ilkay Gundogan have confirmed all the good that Pep Guardiola thought of them, and City won without the red-haired Devil.
A situation that Philippe Albert welcomes, even!
“Kevin has come a long way: there was this injury in the LDC final (arch and cheekbone), then this murderous tackle at the Euro (ankle), and he was also affected by the Covid. He had to work hard to get back to his best level, it took a little time. The chance he has is that his club gives him time to return to his best level. Without him, City has had excellent results: at the top of the championship, has had a good run in the UCL, has qualified for the FA Cup, …
So we can afford to give him time, without pressure, and that’s ideal for Kevin. When Guardiola needs him, he will be there. And it will be soon, because a title, in the Premier League, is played between January and May, when the players begin to be tired, the stakes become clearer and the teams redouble their motivation. So the matches are more balanced, denser, and we need players who can help make the difference”.
Kevin is not 100% yet but he remains one of the best midfielders in the world
For the moment, he is not at 100%, and his statistics this season are obviously down from those of last year, but the City staff will do everything so that in the coming weeks we find the De Bruyne a year ago“.
For Axel Witsel, Dortmund looks like a dead end
Friday, against Friborg (5-1 win with two goals Thomas Miller) Axel Witsel waxed the bench again alongside his coach Marco Rose, which has become a very bad habit. “Chaloupe” will be out of contract next June, and the club is not offering him an extension.
True to form, Philippe Albert says he is not worried about the No. 6 of the Devils, but admits that if he were his agent he would look for a club for him.
“It would be a real shame if he “benches” for the next four months, but I’m not too worried about Axel because with his serious Achilles tendon injury he has proven that he is capable of returning to 1st plan after a long hiatus. So if he continues to train at Dortmund and play snippets or full matches from time to time, he won’t lose his level.”
I worry a lot less about Axel than about Eden
“If Dortmund do not offer him a contract extension it is probably because his salary is quite high and the club wants to rejuvenate the team. In June he would leave for free, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he left Dortmund before the end of January.”.
When we ask the Soulier d’Or 1992 what he would advise Soulier d’Or 2008 if he was his agent:Yes, I would suggest that he find a club where he could flourish again. Even at his age (33 years since January 12) he can still progress. But the most important thing after 30 years is to keep up the pace. We see it with Eden Hazard, who can no longer tell the difference as before.
It would be a shame not to see boys like Axel on a regular basis, also because they are pleasant to see playing“.
