"Chelsea play this very different type of football" - Fabio Capello explains why Romelu Lukaku is struggling under Thomas Tuchel

Former England head coach Fabio Capello believes Romelu Lukaku doesn't fit into Chelsea's style of football at the moment.

The Blues brought in Lukaku for a club-record £97 million fee in the summer after his incredible performances for Inter Milan. The Belgian scored a whopping 64 goals and had 16 assists in 95 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

However, Lukaku hasn't managed to reach those highs in his second stint with the Blues, scoring just five Premier League goals in 17 matches. His overall record doesn't make for a great reading either as he has just 10 goals in 28 matches across all competitions.

Capello has now opined that part of the reason for Lukaku's struggles is Chelsea's brand of football under Thomas Tuchel. The Italian tactician believes the striker was much more suited to the counter-attacking style deployed by Antonio Conte at Inter.

Capello recently told Sky Sports Italia (via the Daily Mail):

"Lukaku fit perfectly into (Antonio) Conte's counter-attacking style at Inter, because there were lots of spaces, he had this physical strength and pace that allowed him to flatten the defenders in Serie A. Lukaku had this power and space to run at defenders and turn the game around."

Capello went on to further explain that the Blues don't give Lukaku spaces to move into, saying:

"However, Chelsea play this very different type of football with lots of short passes and Lukaku doesn't have the same spaces to move in. He also finds that in England the defenders have a similar physicality to him and hold out more."

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Can Romelu Lukaku turn things around at Chelsea?

A major problem for Lukaku has been his ill-fated interview earlier in the season. The Chelsea forward suggested that he was unhappy at his new club and was looking forward to returning to Inter Milan in the future.

Lukaku has since apologized to the club, his teammates and manager, but his on-field performances are yet to show significant improvement. The 28-year-old has hit a couple of new lows in the past week.

He recorded just seven touches despite playing all 90 minutes of Chelsea's 1-0 Premier League win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Lukaku was then dropped by Tuchel for the Blues' 2-0 victory against LOSC Lille in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.

As it has been less than a year since he returned to Stamford Bridge, it is unlikely that Chelsea will get rid of him in the summer. However, the result against Lille proved that Tuchel can depend on other avenues for goals. It could see Lukaku spend some more time on the bench in the coming days.