Already a talk about replacing him. Fe.kin hell.
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Season Average Rating
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- 27
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- 10
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He did improve on early games. I don't know how people can say otherwise. Then after his international games, he seems to forget what he's learned at United. It's just so weird.
So you now think his technique improved after a just a few games with us and now he's suddenly lost that new found technique a few games later? How likely is that?
Isn't it much more likely that you'e falling into the trap of judging a player game by game? Making sweeping assumptions that change weekly.
I think that's why this forum is open all season long, instead of just at the season end?
We will need a more complete forward should we want to challenge for titles and the CL.
Let's hope one of Martial or Rashford become such a forward. The post above comparing Lukaku to Gomes at bayern was spot on.
Let's hope one of Martial or Rashford become such a forward. The post above comparing Lukaku to Gomes at bayern was spot on.
In my experience, poor technique can improve to decent technique, but never can someone with poor technique turn it into great or excellent technique, especially at Lukaku's age. There are some things which he will improve with age, such as decision making. Some maturity and experience will address that issue, however, his level of ball technique in terms of close control, dribbling and passing will have a very small improvement potential.
First of all, Rashford was playing up top, not as a winger.
Secondly, someone compared Lukaku to a lamppost, so I replied, Rashford did loads of running and didn't get any service.
You should try reading the whole conversation before getting involved.
I think this is why you should judge a player's improvement over a longer period of time.
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Movement is somewhere between piss-poor & non existent. And piss-poor is generous.
If the midfield ain't feeding him balls, what's he supposed to do? The last 2 goals we scored came from his direct assists.
Bring back your beard.
As I've said before he lacks that intelligence that certain strikers posses....football smarts if you will. His physical attributes always make him a threat, he's big he can score a header he's a powerful runner but the days when that's not enough he struggles to figure out a way to create chances for himself or for his team mates. Being as big as he is he should be able to hold the ball up and allow players to play of him, he should become a physical presence throw some elbows around when we are under the pump get under the oppositions skin (Zlatan is fantastic at this), he just doesn't do these things. I've rarely watched Lukaku and said "geez that was clever what he did there". I just don't see him being a top quality striker once age naturally takes away from some of his physical attributes.
I don't want to sound like he's rubbish he's far from that he's a very good striker but he just lacks certain parts to his game that will never allow him to be a striker on the level of guys like Drogba, Ibra, Kane etc he might get better with age but i don't see him ever becoming a world class player.
I don't want to sound like he's rubbish he's far from that he's a very good striker but he just lacks certain parts to his game that will never allow him to be a striker on the level of guys like Drogba, Ibra, Kane etc he might get better with age but i don't see him ever becoming a world class player.
Are people who thought we don't need zlatan / afraid with the possibility or zlatan "ruining" the team after thrashing relegation fodder early season still think the same now ?
For someone as big as lukaku his hold up play is non-existent , he is easily dispossessed most of the time. He wont be able to trap the ball & have silky touch like zlatan but he need to learn how to shield it better with his body
For someone as big as lukaku his hold up play is non-existent , he is easily dispossessed most of the time. He wont be able to trap the ball & have silky touch like zlatan but he need to learn how to shield it better with his body
I don't want to blame any of the players as the tactics José uses in these big away games just don't help anyone.
I have a feeling José will want to see how they get on together. Maybe with Zlatan up top and Lukaku as an inside forward on the right.
Zlatan has the same problem, too. Both huge guys but, when pressed, are so easily dispossessed.
He was getting mugged and outmuscled by Azpilicueta who was twice smaller his size that i couldn't believe it
FWIW I have come to really like the guy, he seems a lovely chap and has a genuine ambition to work on his game and become the all-round package but sometimes with all the will in the world, there is only so good you can become and your physical limitations/age can be a barrier to how much you can improve. Morata looks the perfect modern day leading man, very ambidextrous, great hold up play, finesse in his game aplenty and genuinely looks like a Lewadowski-lite which is what United needed this summer. He was the ideal guy to put as the focal point of our attack.
It would have been nice to see us try something revolutionary or forward-thinking by signing a Griezmann up top and go false 9, or go all out for an Mbappe. Instead we saw a very Moyes like premier league purchase, of a physically robust but hardly a thinking mans footballer in Lukaku. He's a brute, but not the calibre of forward you see leading the line at a Barcelona or a Real Madrid ergo he has no business being here as a starter over the next 10 years.
Weirdly enough in Rashford and Martial, you have two players there who could easily develop into top modern day CF's.. Martial for me is strong, good hold up play and sort of kid who could develop into a monster CF with the right application, and we're putting these guys out of position on the wings. I mean in the short term, we are still getting decent results but compare their wing-craft to someone like Sane.. and huge world of difference even accounting for difference in Peps style of play to Jose. It would be like trying to shove Jesus out wide because he happens to be young and quick.
It would have been nice to see us try something revolutionary or forward-thinking by signing a Griezmann up top and go false 9, or go all out for an Mbappe. Instead we saw a very Moyes like premier league purchase, of a physically robust but hardly a thinking mans footballer in Lukaku. He's a brute, but not the calibre of forward you see leading the line at a Barcelona or a Real Madrid ergo he has no business being here as a starter over the next 10 years.
Weirdly enough in Rashford and Martial, you have two players there who could easily develop into top modern day CF's.. Martial for me is strong, good hold up play and sort of kid who could develop into a monster CF with the right application, and we're putting these guys out of position on the wings. I mean in the short term, we are still getting decent results but compare their wing-craft to someone like Sane.. and huge world of difference even accounting for difference in Peps style of play to Jose. It would be like trying to shove Jesus out wide because he happens to be young and quick.
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Today I think we saw that Morata is the superior player, he reminds me of Torres when he was good. Morata seems stronger, has a better first touch and can link the play and is as good in the air as Lukaku.
I like Lukaku and the service he gets these days is very poor but my word he's a big step down from the likes of Rvn, Rooney and Rvp.
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On the one hand I do think he could be an excellent goalscorer for us. On the other hand his clumsyness on the ball in big games is a slight worry.
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On the one hand I do think he could be an excellent goalscorer for us. On the other hand his clumsyness on the ball in big games is a slight worry.
Absolutely zero service and it won't change until we stop passing it about at the back and then just fanging the ball up at him for him to scrap for. Can't fault his work rate, works his balls off and I admire that.
Also in the leadup to their goal Azpilicueta had two handfuls of Lukaku's shirt and literally like an NFL-style defensive tackle was just shoving him away from the ball. No idea how he doesn't get a foul there, it was happening a lot during the game. Penalized for being a massive unit and not throwing himself on the floor like Morata/Hazard resorted to after they scored.
People saying his movement is bad are completely wrong. We need to actually create for him, he knows where he needs to be and will finish the chances. We need Pogba back so badly.
People can moan all they want about the lack of service he’s receiving, but when he cannot even do the basics of what strikers should be doing like holding the ball up, then I’m sorry but it’s like playing a man down.
Morata today showed what you should be doing as a striker - putting yourself about and making yourself a nuisance while being able to hold the ball up well. Cahill and Christensen had an easy ride because Lukaku couldn’t hold the fecking ball up.
Morata today showed what you should be doing as a striker - putting yourself about and making yourself a nuisance while being able to hold the ball up well. Cahill and Christensen had an easy ride because Lukaku couldn’t hold the fecking ball up.
Yep, that's why I wanted Morata. Plus, unlike Lukaku, Morata has big game experience and delivered in crunch CL games.
The modern game requires a striker in the mold of Zlatan or Morata who at times take on responsibilities of a #10 when chances are scarce.
Lukaku is quite limited in comparison. However, so long as he scores against fodder at the least, I don't mind. Won't judge him until he gets some service.
Zlatan can't come back soon enough
Load of nonsense this
Explain how and I will respond in kind.
Have you watched Lukaku play for Belgium? He literally does everything you are claiming he can't do. The man is getting zero service, literally zero. Any man would go mad and start playing like he is doing. You might want to write the long posts in the Mkhitaryan thread instead because he together with Herrera are the main culprits. But I understand, big ass Lukaku is too big a target to miss so of course go for him
I have watched him for Belgium and always thought he looked average. Guy is capable of scoring goals, but his link up play has always been painful to watch and he lacks the nimbleness and multi-directional movement on and off the ball of a top striker. When you look at Aguero/Suarez/Lewa.. you don't know which way they will go with the ball, not to mention at their best, these guys protect the ball, link up at pace and can fashion chances even when the odds are against them.
I agree there is a lack of service but his shit touch makes it hard for us to construct any meaningful attacks. Whereas Morata even when Chelsea were in a low block was capable of protecting the ball, turning and running with excellent close control at our defence. Did it versus atletico madrid as well.
One striker yesterday had balls played to his feet with atleast another teammate close by to work with all game. That other teammate also happened to be one of the best players in the league which made opposition CBs wary of the duo.
The other guy had balls pinged to his head with someone resemblin a traffic cone for support all game.
No surprise when the first guy has a good game while the second one is left jumping for headers all game long where the 2nd ball would be lost anyways regardless of whether he won the header.
By the way, I don't disagree that Morata has a superior all round game. I've said as much when we signed Lukaku but Lukaku has everything to be a dominant striker but we're utterly failing in providing him the setup to look anything remotely good because of how we play in such matches. You can't blame your striker if you isolate him vs 3 CBs all game and then put up Mkhi up there as a sorry excuse for support. He might as well have been playing for Everton yesterday.
It is baffling to me how a striker of his height and build can't win a single aerial duel. I realise that it is not his game, but he simply doesn't make good use of his physical attributes, which happen to be his biggest strength. He should definitely be more of a cnut and harass and bully defenders. His hold up play has been terrible against the top teams.
I do feel sorry for him, since he is getting absolutely no service. The sooner we sell that fraud of a player in Mikhi, the better. But he must improve his other aspects of the play. Learn to come a bit deeper and hold the ball up for other players to run into. Hopefully he learns from Ibra.
I do feel sorry for him, since he is getting absolutely no service. The sooner we sell that fraud of a player in Mikhi, the better. But he must improve his other aspects of the play. Learn to come a bit deeper and hold the ball up for other players to run into. Hopefully he learns from Ibra.
Again with the more intelligent shit 
Why was that team mate close by? one because Hazard is of course ultimately better, two because Hazard has the freedom from defensive responsibility to enable himself to be close to Morata at all times yes, but three ultimately Morata himself is pretty intelligent at moving into good positions and ensuring he isn't too isolated when he receives the ball.
Agree that the way we play really overexposes Lukaku's limitations and if anything with a striker like him who does have it in him to score goals, we should be surrounding him with flair and trying to make him focus just on scoring chances rather than making him the fulcrum of our attack and the lone attacking force. He's too limited to carry an attacking like that. he can't be the primary focus of our attack. He needs to just be a goalscorer in a very talented attack in an attacking side.. right now, he's being made out to be the superstar striker of an uber defensive side and its looking like a car crash in recent games.
Lukaku's movement or positioning is not inferior to Morata in any way. How he positioned himself yesterday also has a lot to do with the fact that balls to him are being hoofed out straight from our CBs. No amount of fancy positioning is going to make that work.
Most strikers would absolutely struggle in a setup like yesterday's with the support in Mkhi and the way the balls where being played to him. As you said, he was pretty much the lone attacking force yesterday unless he somehow chested a hoof down and kept the ball for a couple of seconds vs 3 CBs to let some other attackers join him. That's just not going to work. Over the season, he'll still do well because we won't setup like that but in big games, he'll look shit but so would have Morata.
The big fella needs the right service. Team isn't playing to his strengths. Seems to be no point hoofing the ball up to him and expecting him to create for others when he's got so little support.
Great post.
I really don't get how someone the size and strength as him, literally has no idea how to shield the ball properly or utilise his strength to give him the space to have a chance. He is so frustrating. He clearly need better service between the lines and on the move. If we're going to keep playing the way we're playing now, Ibra is essential to keep the ball higher up the pitch.
Lukaku is vastly overrated,vastly overpriced,vastly inferior to zlatan and vastly out of his depth as a top class striker at a big club,Everton was his level!!
The problem with strikers like Lukaku, Hernández etc. is that when they go on a goal drought, they are more or less useless. He just doesn't possess the basic technical ability to make a difference when he's not scoring.
Yet he's already got at least one superb assist (I'm sure he has more than one assist, can't be arsed checking stats)
EDIT: Turns out I can be arsed. He has 3 assists in the league so far.
He made a difference against Spurs and Huddersfield whilst not scoring.
Surely you can't claim that his all-round game is good? Even if he did flick on the ball for Martial to score against Spurs. He will frustrate us a lot in the future because of his lack of ability.
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