Jose, it’s time to admit a mistake was made with Lukaku

Jose Mourinho has claimed that it is different playing for Everton than playing for Chelsea.

Granted, the Special One is probably right. Aside from the blue of the kit, there are very few similarities between the two clubs.

The expectations, way they are run – full credit to Everton here – and pressure are all completely different. As Demba Ba has found out, being good at one club does not necessarily translate across the board. Big fish, small pond.

Lukaku however is not a big fish in a small pond. He was a growing fish in a very talented and overflowing lake. Thus a loan move to the Toffees was agreed on.

The issue Chelsea have since found with the lake however is that it was overflowing with small, talented creative players. It was not overflowing with out and out forwards.

Mourinho may feel that the trio of Ba, Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o are enough, coupled with Andre Schurrle who he thinks can also double up as a forward. Erm, no Andre. To do that you have to be able to finish. Which Schurrle, at the minute, cannot. How he managed to get 14 goals last season in the Bundesliga is beyond the majority of people who have watched him in a Chelsea shirt.

Another huge difference between Chelsea and Everton was evident this weekend. Lukaku was making runs against Manchester City and nearly getting the right balls – but not quite. At Chelsea – no disrespect to Everton, who are doing fabulously well under Martinez, the quality of the final ball and the assists are second to none. Bar anything that comes from Mesut Ozil.

Lukaku is a predator and would latch onto the passes from Hazard et al so well that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover would be coming after him.

Playing for Chelsea is different to playing for Everton. No arguments here. Scoring against the opposition however is the same no matter where you are. Lukaku can score. On multiple occasions. None of Chelsea’s other forwards have managed that yet. Seven games in.

The club are lucky players such as Oscar have stepped up, otherwise that lake could be drying up rather rapidly. They are stalling. Lukaku is flourishing, which may be good for Chelsea in the long term, but right now, it is frustrating to the point of despair for their fans.

To look up each weekend and see the Belgium International score whilst the only thing their forwards have managed to notch up is a solitary red card has prompted criticism of Mourinho for allowing the loan.

Lukaku has come out and attempted to defend his parent club and Mourinho over this. It was he, and not Chelsea who asked for the loan according to the forward. He wanted guaranteed football – especially in World Cup year. Well fair enough, he asked for the loan. Mourinho did not have to say yes.

When Iker Casillas asked to play last season, Mourinho replied with a short, sharp no. If Roman Abramovich tried once again to dictate the team, Mourinho would tell him in no uncertain terms, no. If Pep Guardiola asked him out for a pint, he would say no. So why then did he feel the need to say yes to Lukaku?

Even more puzzlingly, Chelsea cannot recall Lukaku in January. Clearly Mourinho was confident enough in his forwards to allow this. A mistake? From what we have seen of Lukaku this season it seems so. Add to that the way Chelsea have performed – at times looking like they have ten men such is the ineptitude of Eto’o et al, it seems to be a huge error of judgement.

Goals win you games (shockingly) and there is only so long Chelsea can rely on the likes of Oscar and Hazard to dig them out of holes again and again. The trips to Old Trafford and White Hart Lane showed exactly how toothless they looked up top.

In the last two league games,  Torres and Ba may have been as fired up as they have ever been in the blue of Chelsea, but neither managed to score. Spurned opportunities seem to be the story of the season for Mourinho and his squad so far.

Jose may claim that his eggs are yet to hatch – but the reality of the situation is that three of those eggs hatched a good while back and are now over cooked. Another egg hatched last season at West Brom and is now growing into a rather fine chicken at Everton.

Quite how much that will cost Chelsea remains to be seen. We know all about crying over spilt milk, but the Special One could well be about to cry over a hatched egg. Who would have thought it?

Should Jose have put his faith in Lukaku? Let us know your thoughts below or tweet us @LaFootyettes.