I"m glad that he got his goals last night,I think that he's been leading the line very competently over the last few months.He gives us a lot more than just goals,his ability to hold the ball up,his passing and strength,his ability to bring others into play and even his work rate and commitment have really surprised me.Hopefully he"ll score over 30 goals this season and I can see him banging in the goals for years to come...
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 51
- Goals
- 27
- Assists
- 10
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Status
No because it's total rubbish to think that. Give the guy service and he will score against anyone and has proven that by scoring against the top teams for other teams .
Was he a flat track bully when he scored against city and Arsenal last year or when he scored four against us ?
Lukaku was good against Arsenal away and Tottenham at home. Was it a Diego Costa or Didier Drogba like big-game performance? No. But, this is his first season at a top club.
The only criticism I have of him is the way he approaches a long ball for a flick-on, 9/10 times he misses the ball completely. He needs to improve on it.
The only criticism I have of him is the way he approaches a long ball for a flick-on, 9/10 times he misses the ball completely. He needs to improve on it.
Agreed, when we play into his feet it sticks a hell of a lot more than it does in the air. We really need to stop lumping it high. If they have to go long then just aim for the floor!
Lukaku is the last of our issues right now. Is he really expected to just bring down long punts upfield, it’s always going to favour a defender (or two). Sure he gives the ball away at times, and his dribbling can be a bit erratic, but his crossing and through balls have actually been better than anyone bar Sanchez for the last month or so.
We can barely string a few passes together for periods of most games and that has nothing to do with Lukaku.
We can barely string a few passes together for periods of most games and that has nothing to do with Lukaku.
No doubt he can be a functioning player for a title-winning side, but will he ever be the kind of player who elevates us to a title-winning level?
I've said it for a few weeks now but I'm so pleased with how he's trying to improve his all round game instead of just playing like a poacher; the drive and desire he was showing last night for that 2nd goal was brilliant. For the first goal he used pace that we've not really seen from him so far this season and bullied that defender, his decision making with back to goal is very good, always looking for the man in space instead of playing it safe.
He's not a target man, we need to keep playing to his strengths and giving him the ball a few yards in front of him, punting it 50 yards and expecting him to take it down is not something he's capable of. Only time we should really be playing into the air for him is for crossing, although we still don't have any particularly good crossers.
He'll benefit a lot from having players like Sanchez who often looks for the through ball, and Pogba when he's on song too. Our biggest problem with Lukaku is that we aren't getting him involved enough for my liking.
He's not a target man, we need to keep playing to his strengths and giving him the ball a few yards in front of him, punting it 50 yards and expecting him to take it down is not something he's capable of. Only time we should really be playing into the air for him is for crossing, although we still don't have any particularly good crossers.
He'll benefit a lot from having players like Sanchez who often looks for the through ball, and Pogba when he's on song too. Our biggest problem with Lukaku is that we aren't getting him involved enough for my liking.
Fantastic yesterday. I've criticized him a fair amount for his poor hold-up play, but he seems to be improving in that area.
Two very cool finishes as well, especially for his first goal.
Two very cool finishes as well, especially for his first goal.
His worst games for us were the games against liverpool and city. Both those teams left 40yards between their backline and goalkeeper.
His overall game is beginning to show promising signs. Seems lighter on his feet with the ball, holding it up better, linking play with cute first time passes and good passing in general, not to mention some wonderful finishing.
Anyone else worried about him burning out? I'd have thought yesterday was the perfect opportunity to play someone like Martial up top and rest Lukaku for the CL game. He seems to start every single game these days.
Liverpool had their defenders mark him tight even though they kept a high line. He couldn't receive a pass without someone breathing down his neck. The Liverpool game is actually one instance of his touch failing him in tight spaces. Nothing stuck to his feet and their defenders nicked it off his toes as he struggled to control passes. Our awful tactics in those games also never gave Lukaku or anyone a chance.
Agreed. We’re not seeing the best of his movement, but that’s not entirely down to him. If there were movement in the attack and better passing, he’d be a beast running the channels.
Just to put this season's stats (so far) in perspective, I've compared them with Rooney's career stats for the club:
Rooney
251 in 552 = 0.45 goals per game
137 in 552 = 0.25 assists per game
Lukaku
21 in 38 = 0.55 goals per game
6 in 38 = 0.16 assists per game
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Rooney
251 in 552 = 0.45 goals per game
137 in 552 = 0.25 assists per game
Lukaku
21 in 38 = 0.55 goals per game
6 in 38 = 0.16 assists per game
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Numbers don't tell the whole story, rooney barring a spell of 2-3 years was never our primary outlet for goals. Also until last 2-3 years him playing in the team did not turn us into 10 man team in big games like it has been with lukaku.
While i won't defend the dross that mourinho put on show that day, but just replace Lukaku with either costa or drogba and we would have played much better than we did.
Lukaku has no hold up skills, that's not jose's fault. Flick ons is frankly the only thing he seems to know when he told to holdup the ball and that lead to us just losing possession every time we tried play the long ball.
He scored 2 great goals, so thread so calm for few days and now it's coming back to normal.Lukaku is no more our primary outlet for goals than Rooney ever was. We need everyone around him to muck in with goals too. Hence we just signed one of the league's most prolific goal-scorers. The "10 man team in big games" comment is just being snide for the sake of it. The day the other 10 players all turn up in a big game is the day you can start using that label. This hasn't even come close to happening yet.
Agree with your first point, Rooney brought a lot more to the table than goals.
Your second point stands for pretty much the entire team which says a lot.
For me the whole system mourinho employs in big games sadly depends on the striker. Mourinho for better or worse employs long ball which requires the striker to keep hold of the ball under pressure for us to then break at opposition.
Sadly Lukaku fails at that crucial aspect and it basically is vicious circle after that, we have opposition attacking us and we defend deep, we try and break with a long ball to lukaku, he loses it and we go again. Games against arsenal and liverpool were the clearest example of this. Either mourinho should have thought of a different tactic with the type of striker lukaku is or should have brought someone who is more in the mould of the striker that he wants. But either way, playing with lukaku uptop right now is playing with 10 men in big games.
We sit too deep and give no support. Pretty much any striker will struggle when he just has high balls punted in his general direction while having 2 CBs on him and no teammate in sight. I agree his hold up play needs work but as I said, our system does him no favours. Not even close.
I'd like to see us playing a 4-3-3 getting our full backs forward as much as possible and getting Sanchez/Martial/Lingard/Mata/Rashford closer to Lukaku. He always seems isolated.
I don't blame him alone for our rubbish in big games, much of that blame lies with mourinho, but the system we employ means we are fecked before the ball is kicked with him as no 9 in big games is all i am saying. For a 6"2 or 6"3 guy he is as good in the air as a 6 year old in big games and that is on him though.
You reckon a six year old could have got the assist he did in the only big game we actually won so far this season?
I take it you are talking about arsenal, and the assist being the pass to martial. Please read what i wrote because unless i was watching a different game, his pass was made with his feet not with his head.
Could have been the Spurs game at home. Lukaku got an assist with a flick on, also to Martial.
He's on about Tottenham I imagine.
Don’t really consider Arsenal a big game these days tbh. Nor can I remember Martial scoring against them this season?
Anyway, I was talking about Spurs.
Thanks for the heads up about reading what people write though. I must give that a try.
You should have mentioned it and we wouldn't have this issue then.
On that assist, i wouldn't say much. Its once in a bluemoon, i try and score from 50 yards a 100 times i am sure i will score once (may be make it 200-250 just to be sure) but that doesn't mean i am a great footballer does it. My opinion was based on how he performs 8/10 times not the 2/10.
Your opinion on how good he is in the air in "big games" is based on just four such fixtures so far this season. In one of which he got an assist with a header. So it's kind of ironic that you seem to be accusing me of forming opinions based on not much data.
It's based on watching him against big teams his entire career not just for us.
Sevilla 0:0 Man Utd
That is why he is not world class
Waste of space against anyone half decent
Hold the bloody ball up!
Bad strike with the high through ball but honestly don't know how he's supposed to do much playing against three defenders on his own.
Really bad attacking play (as usual from United these days).
Really bad attacking play (as usual from United these days).
I cant believe how far we have fallen. How does a goal or two against relegation fodder justify him occupying our striker spot? he is absolutely SHITE. Id rather Martial, Rash or Sanchez up there. this is not the united I fell in love with
The man tackles himself.
Actually thought he did relatively well considering the pumping balls at his head with nobody within 50 yards of him. That bit of holdup play at half time was really shit though.
If he carries on that should be subbed off for rashford but for some reason that just doesn’t seem to happen.
What a bunch of whiners. Criticising your forward when there's no creative spark in the team is a bit silly
- Status