[groovyalbert]

It's really odd with him right now. I think he's a great signing and will go on to be a top striker for us, but we really haven't seen the best he has to offer us yet.

Even when he was scoring consistently at the beginning of the season, he wasn't putting in the performances we'd see from him for either Everton or Belgium where he would seemingly put games to bed in 20 minute spells by grabbing a few goals.

Obviously teams are far better drilled and prepared to defend against us than they are when facing Everton, but despite all the bravado surrounding him, and the fact he's clearly integrated into the squad well, I think we're all still waiting for it to kick in on being on the pitch. It will, and the Christmas period might be an ideal moment for him to put a scoring run together with games coming thick and fast.

Our lack of a natural out-and-out winger is probably not helping matters; for the first time this campaign we can say for certain that Perisic would have been a fantastic addition. Sadly it doesn't look like the winger situation will be one we can fix until next summer - all the January signing options seem to be for players in other position.

 

[PepsiCola]

If it was up to some of the genius's on here we would have sold Evra and Vidic after their derby debuts.

Lukaku won't achieve half of what they did in his career.

 

[MadMike]

A lot of people keep saying we are not playing to his strengths.

What the hell are 'his strengths'? I'm still trying to work that out.

Put good balls in the box and he'll get to them first. He's got good movement in and around the box and usually his combination of strength and pace will see him see off the defender in a challenge and get to the ball. He can also win a lot of aerial duels if players are around him to pick up the knock downs.

He missed his chance yesterday but he buries them more often than not. Like he did mid-week against CSKA when Pogba floated a lovely ball in and he held off the defender to put it in the net. He's been doing that his whole career so far.

 

[Minimalist]

Lukaku won't achieve half of what they did in his career.

Probably score a few more goals to be fair.

 

[bosnian_red]

When has scoring on average 1 in every 2 games been mediocre?

It's not that good. Plenty of strikers can get to around 20 goals a season. If your striker only gets you 20-25 a season then they really need to be great all round players, like what Rooney was for us. Lukaku is a poacher and literally only useful for getting goals regularly, so if he isn't scoring like 35 goals a season then he isnt worth his spot. It's the trade off you get. Mario Gomez for Bayern scored over 40 goals a few seasons in a row and I never would have wanted him in. His goals can be replaced by strikers who are quality all around.

 

[midnightmare]

How many comments of "hes shit", "never wanted him here", "Morata is better" have we seen?

Surely that's irrelevant? I believe Marcelo to be better than Young, Blind et al and would say so openly, but it doesn't mean I want Young to fail. Ditto for Walker / Valencia. Saying someone isn't as good as someone else doesn't mean we want the former to fail. I was desperately hoping we'd land Morata, but the moment we signed Lukaku instead, switched to desperately hoping he'd prove me wrong AND that Morata would prove to be a monumental failure. I want Lukaku to succeed for us, but with each passing game, I'm giving up...

Also love how under Van Gaal people criticised the manager for expecting strikers to be super clinical ("pass first unless there's a clear chance" etc) and how unrealistic it was to expect every chance (limited as they were) to go in.

That's pretty much what people are expecting with Lukaku at the moment. When he's missing open nets - I'll worry. When the players around him aren't looking equally lost and it's all breaking down due to him - I'll worry.

Sorry, but he's missed far too many "easy" (for elite and even middling strikers) chances for this to work as a defence. It's not just the odd game, he scuffs chances with gay abandon. Even against the minnows when he's scored goals, he's also missed at least 2-3 sitters. That's not good enough at this level. Famous commentary line, "van Nistelrooy! You don't give him two chances of this type" (He had a defender and the keeper to beat; missed the first time; got a nearly identical chance a few minutes later and buried it). With Lukaku, you just don't get that feeling that he'll ever be clinical.

Also, something that I don't accept is the "He's just 24' line. At 24, someone who is destined to be elite is clearly established. None of the great strikers has been "developing" at this age in a major league. The exception (if you consider Drogba) would only prove the rule - and even then, chances are that the player came late to English shores. Frankly, at 24, most top players are resembling the finished article or at least showing that there are very few gaps left.

For an elite striker - or a striker at an elite club, the major demands are simple. Should not be missing more than a couple of:
1. Calm and accomplished finishing
2. Good hold-up play
3. Ability to finish well even with the "weaker" foot
4. Ability to score well with head and feet
5. Ability to spot through balls and lay off with aplomb
6. Ability to run at defenders with the ball regularly and strike fear into them
7. Ability to create something out of "nothing" once in a while and win games/points through this

For my money, Lukaku isn't really ticking any of the boxes right now - and that is a distinct worry. When we got him, I was hoping that Jose had seen something we were missing and that Lukaku just needed the step-up in club and team-mates in order to show this. To be so woefully short is not a situation I see getting redressed at all - let alone soon. He's past the age when Messi, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and co. were winning major awards (including BdO etc.). Owen, Rooney, Shearer et al were established greats at this age too, so this is not selective name-dropping.

 

[Mr PG]

2 human errors yesterday while trying to help his team but I think the warning signs were there against Arsenal where a shanked clearance almost ended up in goal if not for DDG brilliance.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

Surely that's irrelevant? I believe Marcelo to be better than Young, Blind et al and would say so openly, but it doesn't mean I want Young to fail. Ditto for Walker / Valencia. Saying someone isn't as good as someone else doesn't mean we want the former to fail. I was desperately hoping we'd land Morata, but the moment we signed Lukaku instead, switched to desperately hoping he'd prove me wrong AND that Morata would prove to be a monumental failure. I want Lukaku to succeed for us, but with each passing game, I'm giving up...


Sorry, but he's missed far too many "easy" (for elite and even middling strikers) chances for this to work as a defence. It's not just the odd game, he scuffs chances with gay abandon. Even against the minnows when he's scored goals, he's also missed at least 2-3 sitters. That's not good enough at this level. Famous commentary line, "van Nistelrooy! You don't give him two chances of this type" (He had a defender and the keeper to beat; missed the first time; got a nearly identical chance a few minutes later and buried it). With Lukaku, you just don't get that feeling that he'll ever be clinical.

Also, something that I don't accept is the "He's just 24' line. At 24, someone who is destined to be elite is clearly established. None of the great strikers has been "developing" at this age in a major league. The exception (if you consider Drogba) would only prove the rule - and even then, chances are that the player came late to English shores. Frankly, at 24, most top players are resembling the finished article or at least showing that there are very few gaps left.

For an elite striker - or a striker at an elite club, the major demands are simple. Should not be missing more than a couple of:
1. Calm and accomplished finishing
2. Good hold-up play
3. Ability to finish well even with the "weaker" foot
4. Ability to score well with head and feet
5. Ability to spot through balls and lay off with aplomb
6. Ability to run at defenders with the ball regularly and strike fear into them
7. Ability to create something out of "nothing" once in a while and win games/points through this

For my money, Lukaku isn't really ticking any of the boxes right now - and that is a distinct worry. When we got him, I was hoping that Jose had seen something we were missing and that Lukaku just needed the step-up in club and team-mates in order to show this. To be so woefully short is not a situation I see getting redressed at all - let alone soon. He's past the age when Messi, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and co. were winning major awards (including BdO etc.). Owen, Rooney, Shearer et al were established greats at this age too, so this is not selective name-dropping.

This thread has now increased by 20 pages after yesterdays loss. He was bad, but others were equally ineffective. Yes, he made some shit mistakes but it's hardly warranted the response it's received. We're good enough to overcome a defensive mistake such as his, however, we showed ourselves to be a little to cowardly for my liking and that's on the whole team and not just Lukaku.

 

[BennyBlanco]

It's his general play and perceive lack of effort which concerns me, not his conversion ratio.

Would be interested to know his comparative distance covered stats.

Skysports did an analysis the other day and Lukaku had the most total sprints statistically out of both City & United players this season.

 

[RedOldBoy]

It's not that good. Plenty of strikers can get to around 20 goals a season. If your striker only gets you 20-25 a season then they really need to be great all round players, like what Rooney was for us. Lukaku is a poacher and literally only useful for getting goals regularly, so if he isn't scoring like 35 goals a season then he isnt worth his spot. It's the trade off you get. Mario Gomez for Bayern scored over 40 goals a few seasons in a row and I never would have wanted him in. His goals can be replaced by strikers who are quality all around.

Again it depends on how you spin it.

Before and after SAF, even 20 goals a season was/is a problem. I think I am right that after G Best last scored twenty, it was quite a few years until another player (Brian McClair) manged it. If a striker can average 20-25 goals consistently over an 8 - 10 year spell, I would call that a pretty good haul.

In addition, I actually prefer goals to come from all around the team. I loved the RVP period, but we were a little over reliant on his goal. I much preferred the subsequent period with Ronaldo/Rooney/Tevez.

 

[Craig Ward]

Shedloads of goals, how? You just said at the start of your post that he's never going to be clinical.

Andy cole wasn't clinical. Not all strikers are.

Keep creating chances for him and he'll score

 

[midnightmare]

This thread has now increased by 20 pages after yesterdays loss. He was bad, but others were equally ineffective. Yes, he made some shit mistakes but it's hardly warranted the response it's received. We're good enough to overcome a defensive mistake such as his, however, we showed ourselves to be a little to cowardly for my liking and that's on the whole team and not just Lukaku.

The thread is likely to increase more and more with each poor performance as more fans find their patience coming to breaking point. On whether the response is warranted, I reckon time will tell, but right now, the Caf is aching and Rom is doing nothing to help himself (or the team). He's made a couple of decent through balls (against Arsenal and Watford) but really, that's not what we paid for. He's expected to be the main man and right now, every man and his dog seems to think that sticking Martial up top and Rashford on the left (or vice versa) would be a better solution than sticking with Rom. Is the performance as a whole down to the whole team? Of course, but the "big" players will always cop the most flak - just as they'll take the most plaudits if they perform. Comes with the job! And yesterday, to be fair, Lukaku was the biggest culprit at both ends of the field. Couple that with fluffing his lines in every single big game thus far and you don't need to look too hard for the reason he's getting so much grief.

 

[bosnian_red]

Again it depends on how you spin it.

Before and after SAF, even 20 goals a season was/is a problem. I think I am right that after G Best last scored twenty, it was quite a few years until another player (Brian McClair) manged it. If a striker can average 20-25 goals consistently over an 8 - 10 year spell, I would call that a pretty good haul.

In addition, I actually prefer goals to come from all around the team. I loved the RVP period, but we were a little over reliant on his goal. I much preferred the subsequent period with Ronaldo/Rooney/Tevez.

I agree, but a big part of that is thing an all round striker who can link up play really well, hold it up, create for others, etc.. Lukaku is only useful for his own finishing, which has been pretty shit this season.

 

[RedOldBoy]

Griezmann falling apart doesn't mean you just desperately buy whatever's available. Lukaku was bought because Mourinho wanted him. If we wanted Morata we could have got him for sure. We could have pushed for plenty of others too with the financial power we have or invested in getting goals from other positions. The idea that it was Lukaku or bust is farcical.

My posts have next to nothing to do with the City game. I don't blame him for yesterday at all - He contributed to the defeat but there were more basic issues all over the team. I blame Mourinho more than anyone for yesterday.

My observations go back to his time with Everton and why I was incredibly wary of the signing to begin with. I get that people would say "just get behind him" and when he's playing of course I do. But I'm not going to bury my head in the sand to his pretty woeful form while I'm at it. He seems to be getting held to a different standard to other players - He shouldn't be indulged by the manager like he is. I'd love for him to prove me wrong and become a United legend, winning all the trophies in the process. I just see that as extremely unlikely given everything I've seen from him.

I was more disappointed with our all round performance and how after four transfer windows since Moyes was sacked; why I am left still feeling we have problems to solve in all over the place. left and right back for example, IMHO key positions.

 

[marko goalo]

Surely that's irrelevant? I believe Marcelo to be better than Young, Blind et al and would say so openly, but it doesn't mean I want Young to fail. Ditto for Walker / Valencia. Saying someone isn't as good as someone else doesn't mean we want the former to fail. I was desperately hoping we'd land Morata, but the moment we signed Lukaku instead, switched to desperately hoping he'd prove me wrong AND that Morata would prove to be a monumental failure. I want Lukaku to succeed for us, but with each passing game, I'm giving up...


Sorry, but he's missed far too many "easy" (for elite and even middling strikers) chances for this to work as a defence. It's not just the odd game, he scuffs chances with gay abandon. Even against the minnows when he's scored goals, he's also missed at least 2-3 sitters. That's not good enough at this level. Famous commentary line, "van Nistelrooy! You don't give him two chances of this type" (He had a defender and the keeper to beat; missed the first time; got a nearly identical chance a few minutes later and buried it). With Lukaku, you just don't get that feeling that he'll ever be clinical.

Also, something that I don't accept is the "He's just 24' line. At 24, someone who is destined to be elite is clearly established. None of the great strikers has been "developing" at this age in a major league. The exception (if you consider Drogba) would only prove the rule - and even then, chances are that the player came late to English shores. Frankly, at 24, most top players are resembling the finished article or at least showing that there are very few gaps left.

For an elite striker - or a striker at an elite club, the major demands are simple. Should not be missing more than a couple of:
1. Calm and accomplished finishing
2. Good hold-up play
3. Ability to finish well even with the "weaker" foot
4. Ability to score well with head and feet
5. Ability to spot through balls and lay off with aplomb
6. Ability to run at defenders with the ball regularly and strike fear into them
7. Ability to create something out of "nothing" once in a while and win games/points through this

For my money, Lukaku isn't really ticking any of the boxes right now - and that is a distinct worry. When we got him, I was hoping that Jose had seen something we were missing and that Lukaku just needed the step-up in club and team-mates in order to show this. To be so woefully short is not a situation I see getting redressed at all - let alone soon. He's past the age when Messi, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and co. were winning major awards (including BdO etc.). Owen, Rooney, Shearer et al were established greats at this age too, so this is not selective name-dropping.

This nails it for me. I was never convinced by Andy Cole but he managed to put away one in three/four chances or at least that's how it seemed to me. But i guess this was a time when we were creating so many more chances per game. When the going is tough you have to work that little harder and i just don't see it with this guy - too much arm waving telling his teammates where they should be

 

[POF]

I stayed clear of this thread yesterday as I knew it'd turn into a shit fest very quickly and there's nothing I could have added that wouldn't have been repeated 10 times by 10 different posters.

People need to calm down a little. He literally fed of scraps yesterday. Compare that to the Arsenal game where he was involved a lot more and managed to play two important passes in two of our goals. He does himself no justice with that shite clearance but mistakes happen. It was interesting hearing Delph speak in his post match interview about his mistake and how he was confident that he'd be bailed by his team mates. No one really stood up after we went 2-1 down and fought to win. Felt bad for him as he's obviously down on confidence and then ended up messing up that clearance which makes matters worse - but nows not the time to get on his back. I get the criticism but I don't understand 20 pages of it. Get behind the fecking player and team.

Yep. Delph would have looked at the attacking quality in his side and been confident. Lukaku would have looked at the centre forward in his team having an absolute shocker and realised there was no way he was going to score to get United back in the game.

 

[Jig1234]

Lukaku has limitations but I think the system and tactics Mourinho implements make Lukaku a lot worse than he actually is. Too much pressure on him to hold the ball up for other players, something he has never been good at. Rojo booting the ball up field - why? - Lukaku sucks at that too.

Lukaku is a good striker in the wrong team under the wrong manager. let's not forget Mourinho sold him once. I think more questions need to be asked of the managers system and tactics. Lukaku needs to improve yes but it would help if we didn't use a system that is build to make him look useless.

 

[alanjohnson]

People need to stop criticising the guy. We don't even have proper wingers...let alone full backs who can cross except Young. Comparing him to Cole? Smh. Put Lukaku in the side Cole played in..how do you think he'd fare?

 

[El Jefe]

That's just one spin on this.
Now get some statistics on how [edited] much of the ball they had in the minutes played and also how many chances per goals etc and we will more evidence to judge each striker.

Mohamed Salah - 13 goals. 1193 total mins 92mpg - 4.15 shots per goal
Harry Kane - 12 goals. 1306 total mins 109mpg - 6.67 shots per goal
Álvaro Morata - 9 goals. 1172 total mins 130mpg - 4.77 shots per goal
Sergio Agüero - 9 goals. 866 total mins 96mpg - 4.22 shots per goal
Raheem Sterling - 9 goals. 1028 total mins 114mpg - 3.88 shots per goal
Romelu Lukaku - 8 goals. 1440 total mins 180mpg - 6.38 shots per goal
Gabriel Jesus - 8 goals. 882 total mins 110mpg - 4 shots per goal
Wayne Rooney - 8 goals. 1075 total mins 134mpg - 2.63 shots per goal
Alexandre Lacazette - 8 goals. 1110 total mins 139mpg - 4.25 shots per goal
Jamie Vardy - 7 goals. 1413 total mins 202mpg - 3.71 shots per goal
Leroy Sane 6 goals. 1032 total mins 172mpg - 4.33 shots per goal
Anthony Martial - 6 goals. 667 total mins 111mpg - 2.83 shots per goal

Edit - I used total shots on target initially. Amended to show total shots.

Again Lukaku is the worst performing striker in this metric after Harry Kane. It's clear as day that Lukaku is not as efficient as other top strikers in the league. Kane's shots per goal stats would normally be the worst because he takes many pot shots per game that the others won't take.

Is this still a spin?

 

[whatwha]

No its not my idea, but its what we have to do between now and the end of the season if we want to win anything.
Playing to knick games 1-0 with Lukaku up top isn't going to get us anywhere

May as well bench him, sign a winger/wide forward, and play Martial/Rashford up front. They'd probably finish more chances.

 

[Z2United]

That's just one spin on this.
Now get some statistics on how [edited] much of the ball they had in the minutes played and also how many chances per goals etc and we will more evidence to judge each striker.

Huh? eh this is so weird. Its not like all strikers get in the same position and get the same amount of chances per default??
It requires skill to get a chance. If lukaku is seldom available for a chance then somehow he is still playing good just because he has less chances and thus his goal / chance ratio isent as bad as the rest of his game would have us believe? (mind you i still think his goal/chance ratio is pretty bad regardless of how useless i think that piece of statistic is to measure a striker).

Cavani is a great example. His chance to goal ratio is likely very poor through the years. Yet even tho i dont particularly like him very much as a player one can't take away that he is superb at getting chances.

 

[RedOldBoy]

Mohamed Salah - 13 goals. 1193 total mins 92mpg - 4.15 shots per goal
Harry Kane - 12 goals. 1306 total mins 109mpg - 6.67 shots per goal
Álvaro Morata - 9 goals. 1172 total mins 130mpg - 4.77 shots per goal
Sergio Agüero - 9 goals. 866 total mins 96mpg - 4.22 shots per goal
Raheem Sterling - 9 goals. 1028 total mins 114mpg - 3.88 shots per goal
Romelu Lukaku - 8 goals. 1440 total mins 180mpg - 6.38 shots per goal
Gabriel Jesus - 8 goals. 882 total mins 110mpg - 4 shots per goal
Wayne Rooney - 8 goals. 1075 total mins 134mpg - 2.63 shots per goal
Alexandre Lacazette - 8 goals. 1110 total mins 139mpg - 4.25 shots per goal
Jamie Vardy - 7 goals. 1413 total mins 202mpg - 3.71 shots per goal
Leroy Sane 6 goals. 1032 total mins 172mpg - 4.33 shots per goal
Anthony Martial - 6 goals. 667 total mins 111mpg - 2.83 shots per goal

Edit - I used total shots on target initially. Amended to show total shots.

Again Lukaku is the worst performing striker in this metric after Harry Kane. It's clear as day that Lukaku is not as efficient as other top strikers in the league. Kane's shots per goal stats would normally be the worst because he takes many pot shots per game that the others won't take.

Is this still a spin?

Good figures for Martial that's for sure.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

People need to stop criticising the guy. We don't even have proper wingers...let alone full backs who can cross except Young. Comparing him to Cole? Smh. Put Lukaku in the side Cole played in..how do you think he'd fare?

We don't have wingers who keep crossing but then football has moved on from that. Martial's performance levels are far far higher than Lukaku's. It's the 9 who needs to improve. Yesterday, both the younger players looked more composed and ready for the occasion than Lukaku did.

 

[MadMike]

Mohamed Salah - 13 goals. 1193 total mins 92mpg - 4.15 shots per goal
Harry Kane - 12 goals. 1306 total mins 109mpg - 6.67 shots per goal
Álvaro Morata - 9 goals. 1172 total mins 130mpg - 4.77 shots per goal
Sergio Agüero - 9 goals. 866 total mins 96mpg - 4.22 shots per goal
Raheem Sterling - 9 goals. 1028 total mins 114mpg - 3.88 shots per goal
Romelu Lukaku - 8 goals. 1440 total mins 180mpg - 6.38 shots per goal
Gabriel Jesus - 8 goals. 882 total mins 110mpg - 4 shots per goal
Wayne Rooney - 8 goals. 1075 total mins 134mpg - 2.63 shots per goal
Alexandre Lacazette - 8 goals. 1110 total mins 139mpg - 4.25 shots per goal
Jamie Vardy - 7 goals. 1413 total mins 202mpg - 3.71 shots per goal
Leroy Sane 6 goals. 1032 total mins 172mpg - 4.33 shots per goal
Anthony Martial - 6 goals. 667 total mins 111mpg - 2.83 shots per goal

Edit - I used total shots on target initially. Amended to show total shots.

Again Lukaku is the worst performing striker in this metric after Harry Kane. It's clear as day that Lukaku is not as efficient as other top strikers in the league. Kane's shots per goal stats would normally be the worst because he takes many pot shots per game that the others won't take.

Is this still a spin?

So the best striker in the league (Kane) is the actually the worst? Who knew

Someone tell Levi to trade Kane for Rooney before more people see this chart and Kane's price drops

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Also love how under Van Gaal people criticised the manager for expecting strikers to be super clinical ("pass first unless there's a clear chance" etc) and how unrealistic it was to expect every chance (limited as they were) to go in.

That's pretty much what people are expecting with Lukaku at the moment. When he's missing open nets - I'll worry. When the players around him aren't looking equally lost and it's all breaking down due to him - I'll worry.

Should have worried last night then.

 

[Dobbs]

Stop supplying a striker and reduce him to chasing lost causes for a couple of months. The best way to wipe out confidence. Lukaku's current problem has been fostered by the team over a few months now.

He's not a Zlatan with that massive self belief. The guy needs his team to start playing for him, especially with it being his first season.

 

[AmanNits04]

Have laid off from “lancing” him thus far but surely it's deserved by now? If it were Rooney doing this, he'd have been absolutely roasted - and for good reason. Lukaku is now becoming almost a liability. For all those pointing to a couple of decent balls in the past few games (combined), surely we should expect a lot more from a 75+ Mn player? Also, not sure what you are alluding to as "coming off" for him...


Short of confidence and tired? Less than halfway into the season and before the festive period? It's amazing that someone can use that as an excuse now. Players at the top end thrive on playing every game they're fit for and don't like being "rested". Managers like Fergie also had players who played every game they were fit for. You "manage" time when players reach a certain stage in the career where it's no longer possible to play every game. Forget people like Messi and Ronaldo; even strikers like RvN, Henry, Drogba, Shearer, Rooney et al played every game and hated being benched. Even smoking Berba didn't ask to be rested!

He's in need of dropping - but think about it. Can he get confidence from being dropped? How he reacts now will define his entire career. Flop at United and he'll always be bouncing around second-tier clubs or be backup at elite ones. Bounce back with a vengeance and he may get another chance... For my money, much though I hope he'll really step it up a notch, history and my eyes tell me we've got ourselves a lemon...

He is short of confidence right now, I agree he is not technically on par with the best strikers out there but he has his skill sets which are good enough to help him become one of the best strikers in the league. I am confident that Lukaku will overcome this tough period, just needs some backing from our manager and players. And not even once I said that we need to "manage" his time, I just said that he needs a rest for the Bristol city game in which Either Rashford, Martial or Ibra can play as our striker. We have games coming thick and fast so we need to rotate as well because at the end of the day all these players are humans and not Machines. It's easy for us to say sitting here that they should play a match every 3 days but the fitness coaches, manager and the players themselves know how much can they run themselves into the ground. So let's just hope he overcomes this tough period and go on to score a lot of goals for us

 

[midnightmare]

Lukaku has limitations but I think the system and tactics Mourinho implements make Lukaku a lot worse than he actually is. Too much pressure on him to hold the ball up for other players, something he has never been good at. Rojo booting the ball up field - why? - Lukaku sucks at that too.

Lukaku is a good striker in the wrong team under the wrong manager. let's not forget Mourinho sold him once. I think more questions need to be asked of the managers system and tactics. Lukaku needs to improve yes but it would help if we didn't use a system that is build to make him look useless.

Ok, so what system and tactics would help him exactly? Playing some U16 team from Mongolia? Let’s be clear. So far this season he’s shown his inability to run with the ball, his atrocious first touch, inability to hold up the play, inability to boss defenders (despite being bigger and stronger than almost all of them) and his inability to bury chances.

So what system and what tactics would get him to perform well?

 

[Isotope]

People need to stop criticising the guy. We don't even have proper wingers...let alone full backs who can cross except Young. Comparing him to Cole? Smh. Put Lukaku in the side Cole played in..how do you think he'd fare?

Lukaku would score more goals, but our play as a team would suffer. You're underrating Cole if you think all he did was just scoring goals.

 

[lem8sh]

Stop insulting Andy Cole by mentioning him the same sentence as Lukaku.

 

[Jig1234]

Ok, so what system and tactics would help him exactly? Playing some U16 team from Mongolia? Let’s be clear. So far this season he’s shown his inability to run with the ball, his atrocious first touch, inability to hold up the play, inability to boss defenders (despite being bigger and stronger than almost all of them) and his inability to bury chances.

So what system and what tactics would get him to perform well?

Personally, 3-5-2. Playing with wing backs. Packed midfield and someone alongside side him. Not saying all those things you mentioned aren't true but I think a different system would reduce occurrence of errors. We should not bash the player. Mourinho signed him. If he fails to deliver that's Mourinho's fault.

When Rojo is booting the ball up field at Old Trafford that's where I have sympathy for Lukaku. He needs to work on his finishing yes and improve his game. For instance, I think he needs to stick within the width of the penalty box.

Mourinho tactics are cowardice. Sit deep and let the opposition have the ball. We don't have the players to counter effectively. I think Mourinho and Lukaku need to improve and figure out many things. I don't think it's all Lukaku's fault. Collectively we are poor. I think it's because of our approach.

 

[El Jefe]

Stop insulting Andy Cole by mentioning him the same sentence as Lukaku.

Irritating isn't it. Cole was capable of audacious lobs, bicycle kicks and leaving his last man for dead before burying a chance.

Lukaku is nowhere near Cole's class.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

The one criticism that was true about Cole was that he was anything but a clinical striker. Could score all sorts of goals but also capable of regular extraordinary misses. He was fortunate, however, to be playing for a team that created an absolute shit-load of chances. If he ever missed a sitter he could rest assured another great chance would come round a few minutes later. Which is a scenario that would make a Lukaku a considerably more confident and effective striker.

As it stands, only someone with a monstrous ego like Ibra can cope with the damage it can do a strikers confidence to know that each miss could be his last opportunity in any given game. That’s a brutal burden for any striker to operate under.

 

[meninred]

Was wondering if anyone has compared Lukaku with Drogba. Would like to hear your assessment.

 

[devilish]

Irritating isn't it. Cole was capable of audacious lobs, bicycle kicks and leaving his last man for dead before burying a chance.

Lukaku is nowhere near Cole's class.

They were different type of players. Cole was more hardworking and technically gifted than Lukaku. Lukaku is a slightly better finisher and he's finisher. Both do qualify as a notch down the world class level.

 

[Greck]

So the best striker in the league (Kane) is the actually the worst? Who knew

Someone tell Levi to trade Kane for Rooney before more people see this chart and Kane's price drops

Kane has his share of easy misses and I'm not surprised at that stat as people only see his highlights. He does make up for it by scoring the ones he shouldn't and being great in the build up. Def wouldn't be hands down the PL's best striker if all he brought was goalscoring

 

[AshRK]

I criticised him heavily yesterday but let us be honest and ask how do you expect him to score when he just gets one or two chances in games. Yes he should have scored but people here are quick to protect rash ford and martial saying they hardly get the ball but shouldn't the same apply to lukaku. He was far from the worst player, he is an easy scapegoat. Herrera and valencia were even worse than him yesterday. Not one player could cross the ball consistently to him and people expect him to bang goals. Yes he is not the most clinical striker which is a shame but he is no mug, he is a very good striker and can bang in goals for fun if given proper chances. I bet he will score for fun in the WC.

 

[El Pasillo]

To be honest, I've really no idea why people are being very critical for Lukaku's hold-up play.

It was never really something he was great at, despite having a great physically.

Weren't people here aware of that before the club decided to sign him?

 

[Greck]

To be honest, I've really no idea why people are being very critical for Lukaku's hold-up play.

It was never really something he was great at, despite having a great physically.

Weren't people here aware of that before the club decided to sign him?

I think most weren't. Unfortunately it seems the manager wasn't either from the way he keeps using him. Not doing the lad any favours with some of these big game setups. Has actually shown to have good vision when running towards goal and does well when not isolated

 

[whatwha]

To be honest, I've really no idea why people are being very critical for Lukaku's hold-up play.

It was never really something he was great at, despite having a great physically.

Weren't people here aware of that before the club decided to sign him?

What's more curious is that Mourinho wasn't aware of it, having sold him from Chelsea.