Thomas Tuchel clears up Werner's favourite position and Lukaku absence

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel gave updates on Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku after his team hammered Southampton 6-0 at St Mary's.

Werner and Mason Mount scored two goals apiece for the London side, with Marcos Alonso and Kai Havertz also on target. All six goals came within the first hour, allowing the Blues to rest players ahead of their crucial Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

However, one man not involved on the south coast was Romelu Lukaku, who came off the bench in the first leg against Real Madrid but wasn't even in the squad on Saturday.

"He was not in training yesterday," Tuchel told Sky Sports when asked about Lukaku's absence. "It was too much pain. It is not much time as we leave the country on Monday so I will have to wait."

The Belgian has been told he made the wrong move by switching from Inter Milan for Chelsea over the summer in a club record deal. However, his five league goals are still more than Werner has managed this season.

German international Werner has struggled for goals in the league this term, with his only other strike coming in the reverse fixture against Ralph Hasenhuttl's team. Tuchel was impressed by the former RB Leipzig man, though, and shared his thoughts after the game.

"He could have scored more," the manager said, with Werner hitting the woodwork either side of his first goal. "He had huge chances and a lot of chances.

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"It was his favourite position against an opponent we knew we could find spaces in behind. It was for him to make a statement out of it which he did. He could have scored more but we are happy with his strong performance."

Werner's first goal came when he capitalised on a James Ward-Prowse error and rounded Fraser Forster before slotting home, while his second was a tap-in after Forster parried N'Golo Kante's shot into his path. He also hit the bar from close-range at 0-0 when it looked easier to score, and Havertz's effort came after a Werner run and shot against the post.

Still, while the 26-year-old may feel he made a good case for a start in Madrid on Tuesday, Tuchel's changes may hint at other plans. Havertz has often been used as the point of Chelsea's attack, and the former Bayer Leverkusen man was given the second half off ahead of a big game in the Spanish capital.

"It was a very good performance and a well deserved win," Tuchel said of the 6-0 victory. "It is a tough stadium to come to but we made it look easy. In possession we were very focused so it's a very good performance and an excellent result."