Thomas Tuchel offers explanation for Romelu Lukaku's lack of goals

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says Romelu Lukaku's lack of goals is a result of being overplayed, and admits his side - whose form has been hit by an undeniable slump - have been struggling with fatigue over the past few weeks.

Consecutive defeats at the hands of Manchester City and Juventus before the international break raised eyebrows about Chelsea's lack of creativity going forwards, and although victories over Southampton and Brentford have steadied the ship somewhat, performances have still left a lot to be desired.

Lukaku finds himself on a run of six games in a row without a goal, while Kai Havertz has lost his place in the starting lineup after failing to find the back of the net since August.

Tuchel has done his best to avoid panicking, but confessed in his most recent press conference that his players are struggling to deal with the demands of an overloaded calendar.

"I think we lack a little bit of form and enthusiasm and I think that one big reason is that we play too much," he said. "Not 'we' as a club, but the players play too much. This is the situation right now and what we are facing but this is nothing new, the next break is coming soon and it won’t change.

"It is important that we are not too critical of ourselves. You have hard moments, you fight through them and be a team nobody likes to play against. We get ourselves in a good way and then we try to improve.

"It isn't easy for any team in the Premier League to win any game so maybe this is normal and we have to embrace the situation that is difficult at the moment. We are finding our ways to win the games at the moment. There is still room to improve and we lack form and freshness, a bit of joy, and for me a key reason is not the mentality or attitude, it is nothing else but what you said."

Tuchel went into more detail as he discussed Lukaku's form, insisting it is simply a matter of time before he adjusts to the team while offering up a reason for his lack of goals.

"In the very moment I feel Romelu a bit overplayed," he continued. "I think he played too many competitions over the summer, too many competitions with the national team and now he has played the Nations League.

"He is a fantastic athlete and such a competitive guy that he digs in deep, he wants to win these things and he never takes it easy and judges games. He wants to be out there and win so I know how much he wanted to have a good outcome for Belgium in the Euros, and the Nations League meant a lot to him too.

"I feel him a bit mentally tired. Not hugely that we have concern but for me he does not fully enjoy without having second or third thoughts, for me he overplayed and this is the key point. Once he finds his rhythm and things a bit easier he will be fine but it is hard to judge if he really needs a break or if we need to keep him on the pitch.

"The next international break is coming but this is what I feel, particularly for him. Some other players too for me is the same with Mason Mount and Jorginho, they struggle. They have a lot of weight to carry for the countries, they take it and they love it, they are competitors. If you play 1,000 matches a year it can feel heavy although they love the game. This is what I feel."