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How many defence splitting passes did he give last season like the one we saw at Liverpool home or Arsenal . Maybe few crosses but that's it . I certainly think playing in the wings had some positive effect on him .
As you say, he has all those attribute to succeed there and, when cutting in, he's shown he has an eye for a nice through ball/cross field ball, too.
Also shown a pleasing knack for a weighted through ball cutting the defense up.
The through ball to Mata for the second was delightful.
This is what I don't get. If we are going to bin Lukaku because he is not Aguero, then fair enough. And who are we going to get that is Aguero level? Because we have no strikers at Aguero's level at the club right now.
There are no other strikers anywhere at his level.
There are hardly any young forwards, period. Icardi, then nobody.
Um, ok.
Apologies. I’m bundling in affordability and availability as something that shouldn’t need to be said.
I don’t see anyone on Agueros level, that’s not either old, too expensive, or unattainable.
Fair enough.
Then that makes the premise of needing to get Lukaku out so we can get an Aguero in, moot. And I don't see any path for addition by subtraction here.
Everyone talk about Lukaku, Lingard, Young, Matic, Smalling, Shaw, challenging Liverpool and City, but ignore that Martial and Rashford have not shown to be up to the required standard either.Not in the league. And Saha played many games that season, especially in the first half.
Agreed on the second bolded, but then why are we... focusing on Lukaku only, as if he is the weak point of the front line we have? Some may think he is, but if you can tell me with a straight face that our attack sans Lukaku is that level of incredible, then fair enough.
Exactly, that itself is a sign that this goal was pure instinct and quality. It's hard training right there, the keeper didn't even move if I recall correctly, same thing for the first goal but it took more touches. I like the 2nd goal because it's really just finishing.For a second the whole team was in disbelief, like time stopped.
I want him to be instructed to target Kimpembe
Around about the same amount I'd say, acknowledging the fact we're playing better football generally so he has more opportunity to try them.
It was mentioned last season too because it's unexpected given his style of play. He's our best forward at playing those passes. Here's a handful of example comments:
Yagami in July
Bobski in March
Cliche Guevara in March
Not in the league. And Saha played many games that season, especially in the first half.
Agreed on the second bolded, but then why are we... focusing on Lukaku only, as if he is the weak point of the front line we have? Some may think he is, but if you can tell me with a straight face that our attack sans Lukaku is that level of incredible, then fair enough.
Fair enough.
Then that makes the premise of needing to get Lukaku out so we can get an Aguero in, moot. And I don't see any path for addition by subtraction here.
Around about the same amount I'd say, acknowledging the fact we're playing better football generally so he has more opportunity to try them.
It was mentioned last season too because it's unexpected given his style of play. He's our best forward at playing those passes. Here's a handful of example comments:
Yagami in July
Bobski in March
Cliche Guevara in March
This is what I don't get. If we are going to bin Lukaku because he is not Aguero, then fair enough. And who are we going to get that is Aguero level? Because we have no strikers at Aguero's level at the club right now.
In a nutshell. Squad players have to be happy to go a month without seeing a start when the fixture list isn't congested. If he's content with that and possibly sitting on the bench on European nights when everyone is fit then we'll have no issues. Luckily Raiola is no longer his agent because he looks to move his clients at the first instance of dissatisfactionI wouldn't want Lukaku to go but a striker of his caliber would more often than not demand regular first team football/almost undroppable. He's just not of that level while the hope is Rasfhord may get to that level. If Lukaku is happy with getting a few months of first team football and then being rotated in and out of the squad then by all means he shouldn't ever leave.
The caf swings wildly in it's exaggeration of a player's abilities but let's not pretend Lukaku is some kind of creative force, I'm pretty sure he's yet to register an assist in the PL this season..
What's more likely, he doesn't actually make these kinds of passes regularly so when he does we speak about it more (hence the posts you've referenced) or he's always done it and we've just not noticed?
Name me a striker that makes through balls frequently. It doesn't usually happen because they are at the end of them. Apart from Pogba who on our team can even make that pass regularly?
When Lukaku gets into those positions, he can make those passes. There isn't an exaggeration, he just doesn't get a chance to show it enough.
The caf swings wildly in it's exaggeration of a player's abilities but let's not pretend Lukaku is some kind of creative force, I'm pretty sure he's yet to register an assist in the PL this season..
What's more likely, he doesn't actually make these kinds of passes regularly so when he does we speak about it more (hence the posts you've referenced) or he's always done it and we've just not noticed?
Name me a striker that makes through balls frequently. It doesn't usually happen because they are at the end of them. Apart from Pogba who on our team can even make that pass regularly?
When Lukaku gets into those positions, he can make those passes. There isn't an exaggeration, he just doesn't get a chance to show it enough.
I'm not sure which part of the wild caf swing you're on but yes I agree he's not a creative force, nor was there any implication of that. As strikers go he's pretty good at through balls. Better than someone like Aguero. His pass v Arsenal wasn't a lucky ball or an exaggeration of his skill. That's all.
Lukaku will be top because he moves the least - meaning when he has the ball he'll generally have more runners available than when one of the other two attackers has the ball. If you doubt this, just look at the run of games we had with Martial-Rashford-Lingard as our front three and the sheer volume of runs and through balls that were made in behind.
However this isn't a post against Lukaku, my point is simply that the post made out he's really good at through balls when stats point to him having made zero assists in the PL all season. Whereas Rashford has 6 and Martial (who I think needs to work on his general build up play) even has 2. Yes, it's true that recently I can think of a few good chances Lukaku has created for teammates which unfortunately haven't been taken, that doesn't suddenly make him great at playing people in on goal.
Looking forward to him vs PSG - going to be a change in type of defence Silva is used to.
It's mad the way Lukaku is assessed on this forum. Lukaku has 55 assists and averages 0.17 per game but it's apparently because he's got shite movement. And as a way to 'prove' that is the case you'll use his worst season in his whole career where the manager downed tools. No one else gets that treatment, they all get a clean slate even calamity Jones.
Rashford - 0.16 top flight career assists per game
Martial - 0.15 top flight career assists per game
Lingard - 0.12 top flight career assists per game
Lukaku has been regularly supplying runners for multiple years, and this idea that these passes behind defences is something new is unfounded. Here's some video evidence from last season.
2-2 vs Leicester:
3-1 vs Arsenal:
1-0 vs Burnley:
4-2 vs Watford:
0-1 vs Newcastle:
He's the only glimmer of hope I have against PSG. Get the ball to him in the box about five times, we might just sneak a win.
My hope is that damn Dembele single handily bossed Thiago and Kimpembe about and they really didn’t like a physical game, now if Dembele can do that then surely Lukaku can do better. Actually thought when he came on against them he did quite well and Silva really wasn’t loving it.Don't see it happening, but would love nothing more.
Very glad he's come into form lately, but I can't see Thiago Silva being phased by him.
I really hope I have a bunch of posters quoting me and mocking me after he plays a blinder and we go through tonight though!
Another one for the ignore list with breakout. Never put anyone on it til this season. He's the 4th or 5th now. Just can't be happy with everyone.
He's one of the most rational posters on here.
He's posts are usually good imo. Maybe he shouldn't have been messing with @GifLord though, because he's just posting what others request.Rationally coming in looking to be a tool the second everyone is enjoying a performance? He's what's wrong with this place.
