[Infra-red]

Doesn't look fit. I'm not sure if that's because he needs more time to get up to speed, or because he's knackered after a tough season followed by a long summer.

His hold up play looks to be regressing, too.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Newsflash. Strikers miss chances. Our problem has been creating more than one chance for him (or anyone else!) over 90 minutes. Once we start doing that, we might start winning games.

EDIT: Yeah, I know, last night we didn’t even create the chance he missed.

Slightly agree.
But good strikers find space where people can pass to him. If he is sandwiched between 2 defenders, he is not going to get that pass.
It is not always others fault. You can't wait eternally for that perfect pass.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

For someone who has a good goal scoring record its bizarre to see Lukaku have such little composure 1v1.
The chance against Leicester is evident of that.His body shape seems tense and he seems to want all the time in the world to pick his spot.

Also,must say for a big bloke Lukaku comes across as rather weak.It surprisingly doesn't take a great deal of effort to get the ball off him.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Lukaku with us last year and Lukaku at Everton the year before:

Min. Per Chance: L - 33.4, EL - 29.7
Goal conversion: L - 18.6%, EL - 22.7%
Shot Accuracy - L - 48.8%, EL - 48.2%
Min. Per Attempt in the box: L - 38.3, EL - 40.8
Minutes per touch: L - 2.5, EL - 2.2

So at Everton he got chances more regularly, got touches more regularly while being even more clinical in front of goal.

All of which suggests that whatever problems Lukaku may have, being clinical in front of goal isn't one of them. Rather it's that he doesn't get near as many chances as the players we compare him to, whether through the team's fault or his own.

My theory is that he struggles more because we face teams that are sat in a lot. At Everton he was able to run onto the ball a lot more and have more space which suits him.

Zlatan was much better at working in tight spaces and using his body to hold of defenders which was beneficial against those packed defences, many defenders wouldn't even bother trying to get tight to him and out muscling him because they couldn't. With Rom you get tight and he struggles.

In those tight situations he struggles to work space for himself to fire off shots. Aguero is a master at this for contrast.

 

[el3mel]

The chance he missed was unexcusable. These chances change games.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

Looking at those Gifs, those misses are criminal but he just looks like many a goal scorer who needs a goal to get his confidence up. Any old goal will do, just bundle one over the line. It’s amazing what a goal can do for your confidence, if he had burried that first one those other two I imagine would have been finished no bother whatsoever.

He isn’t the technical marvel of Aguero,RVP and players like that, what he is (normally) is a good goal scorer, a scorer of goals, we are still a disfunctional team that doesn’t play to his strengths but last night there were some flashes of us leaning more to what Lukaku is good at other than the normality of playing to his weaknesses.

I still think the best I’ve seen of him here was the brief times he has played in a 2 with Martial, they just seem to compliment each other.

Agreed. Pretty sure Martial has even set him up for a few tap ins when played this way. Might be the only tap ins we've scored in 2 seasons.

 

[ZlatMan]

I thought his struggles was simply the way the team is set up but it turns out it is down to his lack of awareness and poor technique. He didn't look at the gaping goal which he end up scuffing wide and ruin our attacks by his poor passing skills. We wouldn't lose if he had converted one of many wasted chances

He look more like a £100m Welbeck than new Drogba.

 

[Foxbatt]

I thought his struggles was simply the way the team is set up but it turns out it is down to his lack of awareness and poor technique. He didn't look at the gaping goal which he end up scuffing wide and ruin our attacks by his poor passing skills. We wouldn't lose if he had converted one of many wasted chances

He look more like a £100m Welbeck than new Drogba.

The only difference is that he does not get entangled with his own feet and fall down on his own.

 

[montpelier]

Missed chance was off his wrong foot wasn't it? And he rushed it a little bit. Not a good combination.

I mean, he should obviously score but I do have a bit of sympathy.

I'm more concerned about how he links or doesn't & that he's sporadic in looking for the ball in behind using his pace (workrate / competitiveness issue, not a lack of ability)

 

[GifLord]

Newsflash. Strikers miss chances. Our problem has been creating more than one chance for him (or anyone else!) over 90 minutes. Once we start doing that, we might start winning games.

EDIT: Yeah, I know, last night we didn’t even create the chance he missed.

He's been missing chances last season aswell


But people didn't care much about it cause he was scoring and all.
I don't think he'll ever be Utd quality his overall play is just so bad.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

He's been missing chances last season aswell


But people didn't care much about it cause he was scoring and all.
I don't think he'll ever be Utd quality his overall play is just so bad.

Most of them aren't even bad misses though. I'm sure you could make one on Aguero and Kane from last season too.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Would it be a terrible idea to bench him and give Alexis, Martial or Rashford the start up front against Burnley? He just hasn't looked right since he's came back from the WC and his summer break.

 

[Isotope]

Andy Cole is certainly a better comparison than the Emile Heskey and Salomon Rondon ones on the previous page. It's like people want to overreact.

Andy Cole could create his own chances, though. He's a brilliant striker.

 

[Foxbatt]

Of course he did not miss just one chance. He missed three and he should have put away the cross from Shaw but he scuffed it. Then he failed to hit the target from 6 yards. His ball control is terrible. His passing is terrible. He probably is the worst CF we have had for some time now. I think even Mark Hughes is much better than him as he can play with his back to goal and keep possession and bring others into play and he can score goals too.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

 

[Jeppers7]

Of course he did not miss just one chance. He missed three and he should have put away the cross from Shaw but he scuffed it. Then he failed to hit the target from 6 yards. His ball control is terrible. His passing is terrible. He probably is the worst CF we have had for some time now. I think even Mark Hughes is much better than him as he can play with his back to goal and keep possession and bring others into play and he can score goals too.

This sentence confuses me a lot ?

 

[Rash Decision]

Would it be a terrible idea to bench him and give Alexis, Martial or Rashford the start up front against Burnley? He just hasn't looked right since he's came back from the WC and his summer break.

Would definitely try Alexis. Martial and Rashford have been shit for a while. Alexis had his best season for Arsenal at striker and was doing very well there in preseason too.

 

[Jeppers7]

Most of them aren't even bad misses though. I'm sure you could make one on Aguero and Kane from last season too.

Most of them are terrible misses, a couple aren't terrible misses just terrible efforts.

 

[Jeppers7]

 

[mataylor84]

The big man is good, but I've been disappointed with him. I was there last night, and he ambled about. He was never on the defenders shoulder, walking around offside and when we won the ball back, couldn't utilise him as a result.
For his power I expect him to have defenders quaking. Doubling up on him, leaving space for lingard or others to take advantage off.

 

[Bobski]

Someone recently compared him to Andy Cole and I think that’s a good comparison. Scores a load of goals but misses loads too.

Only as a finisher is it a valid comparison. Actually think Lukaku might be a more consistent finisher than Cole, but without the instinctive brilliance that Cole used to score some exceptional goals. Cole had some astonishing misses.

Cole was a much better footballer though.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

I love the lad but yeah, he was bad last night and has started the season poorly. He's just limited and we dont really play to his strengths which makes things even worse. Needs a goal this weekend badly, and I think he will get one.

 

[reddevil80]

I like the lumper, strong, athletic and can pack a punch. It's a shame he has no 1st touch. He needs balls through the channels to latch on to and unleash that (occasionally) wonderful left peg. I have an issue that he really does only have a left foot. His right is weak and he seems to struggle to time his headers. I have started to help a local youth coach and the first thing I've been at them for is their ball control. I was amazed at how they couldn't control the ball, hence gotten beat in 85% of the games last season. Have had some friendlies recently and they have won 90% of the games. Lukaku just needs to concentrate on his ball control and his finishing will improve dramatically.

 

[Carlsen19]

Way out of his depth at a club challenging towards the top of the table. When he has a chance, I fully expect him to miss and for a £75m striker that is just absurd.

 

[jem]

Of course he did not miss just one chance. He missed three and he should have put away the cross from Shaw but he scuffed it. Then he failed to hit the target from 6 yards. His ball control is terrible. His passing is terrible. He probably is the worst CF we have had for some time now. I think even Mark Hughes is much better than him as he can play with his back to goal and keep possession and bring others into play and he can score goals too.

Even Mark Hughes? You make it sound like Hughes was some run of the mill journeyman!

 

[Foxbatt]

Even Mark Hughes? You make it sound like Hughes was some run of the mill journeyman!

Compared to what we had of strikers I think he was the bottom of the list. Players like RVN, RVP, Rooney, Cole and Yorke and Ole and Eric were much better players than him in my opinion. That is why I said that.

 

[WR10]

This poor run of form and criticism he is getting in the forum is deja vu. He went through this poor patch last season, put his head down and worked hard. He went on a great run of games till the end of the season initially with those muted celebrations. He will do it again. He's clearly out of shape right now - for whatever reason - so these past 3 performances are no worries. There is absolutely no doubt he will hit form soon. No doubt about that

 

[Beagle]

Lukaku is overrated,when you look at great Utd strikers like Van Nistelrooy and Van Persie you would not put Lukaku in that bracket whatsoever,he has not got the technique and will never score goals with the level of aplomb and execution of those two,in short is he of Utd standard? I have serious doubts!

The United standard is relative. This is now the standard, the level that the club currently plays at. When Aston Villa are signing a player do you think it's fair for their supporters to compare their players now to the time when they were winning the first division?

Lukaku is not a world class striker but he is a serviceable one. Scoring goals will not be his weak suit, despite the recent evidence. When on form he can be relied to score goals given good consistent service; but we knew this about him while he was at WBA and Everton. He was not going to be a match winner by hinself.

The more worrying part of his game is his lack of technical ability and this will show up in a team who is challenging at the top level against quality opposition. But that is a problem which can be addressed some ways down the road. Not an immediate concern I think.

 

[Red_Ramirez]

Only as a finisher is it a valid comparison. Actually think Lukaku might be a more consistent finisher than Cole, but without the instinctive brilliance that Cole used to score some exceptional goals. Cole had some astonishing misses.

Cole was a much better footballer though.

Better all rounder yes. Not better targetman though...

 

[Sayros]

This poor run of form and criticism he is getting in the forum is deja vu. He went through this poor patch last season, put his head down and worked hard. He went on a great run of games till the end of the season initially with those muted celebrations. He will do it again. He's clearly out of shape right now - for whatever reason - so these past 3 performances are no worries. There is absolutely no doubt he will hit form soon. No doubt about that

This. The guy is not in shape yet, and it shows. Last season, he's not only shown he can bounce back and become a force, but he's also not nearly as bad in his all around play as some make him out to be. His time will come.

 

[Jeppers7]

Compared to what we had of strikers I think he was the bottom of the list. Players like RVN, RVP, Rooney, Cole and Yorke and Ole and Eric were much better players than him in my opinion. That is why I said that.

Hughes was a target man and a complete footballer. He wasn't a great goal scorer he was a scorer of great goals. Over a full season he'd be more than capable of at least the 16 league goals Lukaku managed last season. In addition though there were no weaknesses to his game. He was capable of creating goals for himself or the team. Capable of the impossible. He was a magnificent footballer.

Of the list you put up I'd put him behind RVP amd Eric and in a group with RVN and Rooney just below them.

As much as I like all the others you mentioned, none of them were as good individually as Hughes. You make him out as some kind of Peter Crouch.

 

[VeevaVee]

 

[Jam]

I don't want to entirely blame Lukaku - but he has missed some absolute sitters and hasn't contributed to make up for his mistakes and if he scored we'd have very different results and a very different mood here. However the matches shouldn't be reliant on one chance, he missed them and we never got on with it and put up a sufficient fight. The whole team's performances have been disappointing.

While the whole team aren't contributing to the expected level there's a magnifying glass on Lukaku because of the misses, and that shouldn't be an excuse.

Lukaku really needs to raise his finishing game, he just isn't clinical at all. I don't expect him to be Ruud but at the same time I expect him to still be a top-quality finisher. He has great presence and can contribute but when it comes to him taking a chance on goal I'm not at all confident in his ability.

 

[Patrick08]

This. The guy is not in shape yet, and it shows. Last season, he's not only shown he can bounce back and become a force, but he's also not nearly as bad in his all around play as some make him out to be. His time will come.

It will be too late by then unfortunately.

 

[haram]

He does look rusty without a pre season.

 

[Patrick08]

Ab crunches would be more intelligent thing to do.

 

[Apokalips]

I like him and think he is a good player, but I have said along he misses that X factor that the truly elite strikers have. He seems more reliant on service than the very best guys, also seems quite shy of shooting for a striker. The majority of guys who score the most are the ones who shoot the most, even from crazy places, because they back their shooting talent.

From what I see I'd guess that guys like Zlatan, Messi, Ronaldo, Kane, Salah, etc. shoot/used to shoot much more than Lukaku does. He seems to only want to take an effort on when it's put on a plate. To win the top honours we need someone who is capable of dragging us to victory at times, fashioning a chance out of nothing with a quick shimmy and bang. Aguero, et al. do this, but Lukaku....for example, the Aguero goal that Ederson assisted - no way Lukaku scores that. I think Lukaku is what he is and I don't see him improving much.

I'd love to be proven wrong, but he should be in rotation the way Fergie would do it and not a cast iron 90 mins every game striker. City have Aguero and even then he isn't assured of 90 minutes every game!

 

[Litch]

Not being funny but it's not easy to look good in this Utd team....

 

[Stadjer]

Not being funny but it's not easy to look good in this Utd team....

He doesnt have to look good..he just needs to score the relative easy chances he gets.

 

[Moriarty]

He doesnt have to look good..he just needs to score the relative easy chances he gets.

Poor form. Once he scores a goal or two, he'll be fine. I'd still like to see him with a regular strike partner though.