Romelu Lukaku image 9

Romelu Lukaku Belgium flag

2017-18 Performances

View full 2017-18 profile

6.1 Season Average Rating
Appearances
51
Goals
27
Assists
10
Yellow cards
3
Status
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Serious question : how many volleys has Lukaku actually scored in his career? He doesn't have the touch of Berba and RvP so it seems that expecting him to score from impossible angles scoring wonder goals isn't playing to his strengths.
 
Brwned said:
What a bunch of whiners. Criticising your forward when there's no creative spark in the team is a bit silly
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And when just hoof the ball when no one is even supporting him. He won few headers but he was so isolated there is no way he can retain possession.
 
I don’t rate Lukaku as good enough to be our leading striker long term. I’ve said that many times.

However, I have to say that it is hard to judge him on how good he really is at this level when we play such cowardly defensive (and still manage to be defensively suspect) tactics.

I mean Alexis Sanchez was arguably the most potent attacking player in the league at Arsenal and he’s basically become a non entity in the majority of games since he signed for us. Baring that in mind I do wonder if Mourinho’s tactics are hindering even the big man.
 
Brwned said:
What a bunch of whiners. Criticising your forward when there's no creative spark in the team is a bit silly
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Maybe if he ever did anything (even once) against any decent side for us, then there wouldn't be this reaction. I agree that today there just hasn't been much chance for him to hold up the ball properly or make runs or whatever. Should've done better with his half chance but again, it's scraps for him to feed off of. The problem is when this is the normal performance against any decent opposition. Not even big teams. Just decent, and he'll struggle.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
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.
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Give me a break man, quit defending him and comparing this guy to Rooney. Right now he isn't fit to tie Rooney's laces.
 
He's absolutely woeful. I'm amazed he gets paid to play football when he can't control a ball.
 
I’m sick to death of him, Everton robbed us blind.

Get rid of him he offers nothing apart from tap ins against the bottom 6
 
One minute he's great then the next minute he's a donkey. Overall not quite good enough unfortunately
 
Huh, I actually think he's doing well with absolutely no support as usual.
 
Impossible to judge him right now. He's constantly isolated because our wingers and attacking midfield play is non-existent.
 
Not sure what he's supposed to be doing with these terrible tactics. Jose is not helping him one bit.
 
He’s not been good today but we’re impotent going forward. What exactly do we expect from him? That he’ll pick the ball up 30 yards out and run it all the way?
 
He isn't necessarily being helped by the tactics but Mourinho tends to rely on forwards who can put in a shift in general - Lukaku's ultimately a poacher, so it's difficult to see where there's going to be any reconciliation tactically.
 
BringNaniBack said:
He's absolutely woeful. I'm amazed he gets paid to play football when he can't control a ball.
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dannyrhinos89 said:
I’m sick to death of him, Everton robbed us blind.

Get rid of him he offers nothing apart from tap ins against the bottom 6
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AndyJ1985 said:
One minute he's great then the next minute he's a donkey. Overall not quite good enough unfortunately
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He has been isolated for most of the game with no service. Do you guys understand football? If your not Messi or possibly Neymar, with no service a striker can’t do that much. What do you expect from him tonight? To dribble past 5 players all by himself and score?

Provide him with decent service and he will score goals for fun.
 
Been winning things going up to him. But he has absolutely no one following him up. Done nothing of note.
 
The holy trinity 68 said:
He has been isolated for most of the game with no service. Do you guys understand football? If your not Messi or possibly Neymar, with no service a striker can’t do that much. What do you expect from him tonight? To dribble past 5 players all by himself and score?

Provide him with decent service and he will score goals for fun.
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Every time the ball is played to him it's an awful touch or misplaced lay off. That's nothing to do with service. He simply isn't very good with a football.
 
The holy trinity 68 said:
He has been isolated for most of the game with no service. Do you guys understand football? If your not Messi or possibly Neymar, with no service a striker can’t do that much. What do you expect from him tonight? To dribble past 5 players all by himself and score?

Provide him with decent service and he will score goals for fun.
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The lack of service doesn't excuse him for losing possession, having a bad touch and not being able to complete a simple pass
 
If we were one of those teams who were drumming forward, playing on the counter, and just a proper shit scary attacking side, he might not be as shite as he is under this system. Seeing him play as a Poundshop Drogba is soul destroying. There are better players than Lukaku playing shit in our side, so playing to ones strengths might be the way to go?
 
Raoul said:
I didn't get carried away with either. I simply preferred Morata to Lukaku.
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Aye, and you also said you 'wouldn't be surprised' if Lukaku got 40 goals. It goes without saying that would have put him in the conversation for most productive goal scoring seasons in the club's history.

Those expectations, and I'm not digging you out for it (they were shared by many posters here), were ludicrously over the top based on what he'd shown in his career to date. The backlash against is now going too far the other way.

Whst encourages me is the aspects of his game that aren't good enough are improving in front of our eyes (albeit in fits and starts) and he's still racked up solid numbers.
 
AndyJ1985 said:
The lack of service doesn't excuse him for losing possession, having a bad touch and not being able to complete a simple pass
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That's not really true though - a lot of times this match when he gets a ball hit towards him, due to support he's 1 on 3 or even at times, 1 on 4. So even if his first touch is good, he's utterly surrounded.

Even the few times he manages to some extricate himself and lookup to find a teammate, unless Sanchez is around they're in our half.

I find it fascinating because Jose's whole 'house' thing with Drogba - you build a 'house' of 4/5 players around the big man, near to him, to create opportunities.
 
Can't fault his workrate tonight - he ran the channels really well and had a good physical battle with the CBs. He is trying. It's his first touch and his passing - the quality just isn't there, at all, it's woeful.
 
That volley in the first half..

I just wish we had a player of RvP’s quality. I like Rom but he’s not top class.
 
This guy is taking the place of thousands of people who play Sunday league who can actually control a ball. He needs to be dropped ASAP. He will never be good enough.
 
NinjaFletch said:
Aye, and you also said you 'wouldn't be surprised' if Lukaku got 40 goals. It goes without saying that would have put him in the conversation for most productive goal scoring seasons in the club's history.

Those expectations, and I'm not digging you out for it (they were shared by many posters here), were ludicrously over the top based on what he'd shown in his career to date. The backlash against is now going too far the other way.

Whst encourages me is the aspects of his game that aren't good enough are improving in front of our eyes (albeit in fits and starts) and he's still racked up solid numbers.
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I don't think the expectations were off, as 30 plus goals is entirely realistic for Lukaku. Everyone has simply underperformed this year, including Pogba. These players are being utilized in ways that don't bring the best of out of them, which is in turn making them look like they may not be as good as previously thought.
 
Woeful.

People who think he’s going to be the main striker for a team challenging for the Champions League and Premier League are kidding themselves.

Touch poor, passing poor. Might have what 20 goals this year, but how many against the good sides when it’s mattered?
 
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