During Sky Sport Italia's coverage of Euro 2024 on Monday, special guest Giorgio Chiellini was asked about the shock of the tournament so far: Slovakia's stunning 1-0 win over Belgium. Romelu Lukaku was already being widely blamed for his nation's defeat by the usual collection of online trolls and social media banter merchants, with the striker having missed three clear-cut opportunities, as well as having two goals disallowed by VAR - but Chiellini was having none of it.
"I would not see Lukaku as a problem if I were in Belgium," the former Juventus and Italy centre-back insisted. "Others are the problem. Lukaku is the solution." It was a controversial take, but one that demanded respect, given Chiellini's status as a modern-day great who faced Lukaku several times before calling time on his distinguished career.
However, if Lukaku's not a problem, he's certainly got one, as his latest horror-show has done absolutely nothing to boost his hopes of securing a move to a top club before the start of next season. On the contrary, it only reinforced his reputation as a dreadfully wasteful forward.