On seeking guidance from some of his players, Tuchel said: “I don’t take decisions in my office and circulating around my thoughts. I take decisions for the team and I have five or six players to listen to and hear their opinion, and what they think and then I take my decisions once I hear them out. 

“It’s not a personal thing for me to decide because of my belief, we have a squad to protect with strong beliefs and strong values.”

Tuchel offered no guarantee that Lukaku will return to his squad on Wednesday night, with Monday’s meeting set to be key to whether or not he is quickly handed a second chance.

“He’s our player, he will stay our player, we will always protect our player,” said Tuchel. “First we need to evaluate the situation, not listen to media or pressure, understand what he said and why he said it. Then we will take the decision if he is good to go for Wednesday. 

“I cannot tell you right now because we need to talk and understand the situation more and on we go. Once the situation is clear, he will stay our player and we will protect our player.”

Tuchel was pleased with the draw, but was adamant Liverpool goal-scorer Sadio Mane should have been sent off inside the first minute for a challenge on Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta.

“I hate to say it because I love Mane and he is a nice guy and a top player, but it is a red card,” said Tuchel. “The elbow is in the face – it doesn’t matter if you do this after 20 seconds or 20 minutes. We come from a game against Brighton where we miss Var calls in the box and suddenly Var is checking a goal against Kovacic.”