Romelu Lukaku image 9

Romelu Lukaku Belgium flag

2018-19 Performances


View full 2018-19 profile

4.8 Season Average Rating
Appearances
45
Goals
15
Assists
3
Yellow cards
5
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A guy who was one of the best strikers in the league with one of the best conversation rates who basically got his goals from movement and arriving on to things doesn’t just all of a sudden become rubbish unless there has been changes.
It’s obvious the difference in how he was/is deployed at Everton and Belgium compared to how he is deployed for us, to me his lack of movement is in part to the reason I said earlier, that is how Jose wants him deployed, stay up top and occupy the 2 Cb’s to hopefully leave space for someone else, it’s exactly the same as how Zlatan was deployed. The problem tho is the isolation, how slow we are and the massive gaps between defence, midfield and our forwards, it’s just poor coaching and management.

We can maybe critique his movement in the box when chances are coming in but then he pulled off a few decent movements or runs this evening to create space or an opportunity for himself. I’m by no way saying he isn’t partially to blame, but it’s painfully obvious at this moment in time we are just being poorly managed and coached and players not being used in ways that would get the best out of them or others.

On this tho, I wouldn’t be against him being dropped for Newcastle and playing Martial, Rashford and Sanchez in a 3, however none of them can do the job Jose wants, and even more proof of how Jose wants us to play is how he deployed Martial vs Wigan. Made him play the same way, just occupy the 2 CB’s and try and win the high balls. Something Martial is clearly not used to.

He drifts when he wants to. You often see him pulling out wide and picking up the ball. The only problem is he tends to make a fool of himself when he does it.
 
He is like one of those black & white non speaking comedy shows where the actor keeps falling down over stuff.

As I said - the guy is only here because of Jose. If we dare play a partnership up top - Lukaku will be out placed by martial & Rashfords ability to eventually interplay.
 
I knew he wasn't levels when he allowed Kane to creep up on him and snatch the golden boot. To this day I still can't believe it happened.
 
Can't bench or sub him because then we'll be trying to use one of Rashford, Martial or Sanchez as targetmen which will be even worse than an out of form Lukaku. If we get a new coach with a new system things might change
 
If Ibra didn't sustain that injury, Lukaku never would have been brought.

Ibra was a superior player to him even at age 35 and we played our best football with Ibra under Jose(our horrific finishing + WC GK performances let us down at the start 2 years ago).
 
I maintain it’s difficult for him with the long balls up to him and I’ll never understand why there’s such a big gap in between him and our midfield.

That said, it was another howler of a performance and he seems to be getting progressively worse.

It’s frustrating how his game has changed, made a few channel runs tonight but he mainly comes deep for the ball when he should be playing on the shoulder of the defender and looking to get in behind.
 
Has he had a stroke? Why does he look like he is suffering from ataxia?
 
Convinced that even Mason Greenwood would have been more useful tonight.
 
If Ibra didn't sustain that injury, Lukaku never would have been brought.

Ibra was a superior player to him even at age 35 and we played our best football with Ibra under Jose(our horrific finishing + WC GK performances let us down at the start 2 years ago).
Lukaku isn't fit to lace Zlatan's boots.
 
Awful once again, his confidence is gone and he's not good enough to play through it.

His had one or two shit performances so far but tonight was special. Highlights include:

- Trying to run a defender doing stepovers and somehow ending nutmegging himself.

- walking back while standing in an off-site position.

- getting told off by Pogba of all people for not providing him an option when Pogba had the ball.

- getting critised by Martin fecking Keown for his off the ball movement

- looking like a deer caught in headlights throughout the match.

Must be infuriating to play with him honestly. Needs a rest and let him earn his spot again.
 
He scored 27 times in his first season with us, that's almost RVP territory. Wouldn't call that awful by any stretch.

16 league goals is mediocre. 7 league goals from October to may is awful. His overall game is pathetic.
 
He was so good in the World Cup, too. Really thought we was going to get a great season out of him.
He wasn't that good. Even when playing in a star studded Belgium team he only scores against small teams. No real impact against top quality opposition although he was quite good for 1 half against Brazil.
 
We don't create because his movements off the ball has been shite most of the time. If his movements were better we would create more obcobvsly.
He should never be our main striker. Everton was his level.

A) That's an entirely different argument to the one I was responding to and has to do with his general play which, as I said, is indeed far more of a problem than his finishing.

B) He recieved more chances in his final year at Everton than he did with us last year. So unless you think his movement actively got worse to the point that it impacted on every stat that signals creativity and attacking intent within a team, it wasn't just down to him.
 
Time to drop him I'm afraid, puts the effort in but hes not been good enough this season.
 
I'm not quite ready to give up on him in the long run, but in the short term he needs to be benched. Put Martial/Rashford up front, the other on the left wing, and let's see what happens for a run of games, not the odd one and give up on it right away. Lukaku needs a rest, get his mind right, and work his arse off in training. He is someone who can bang goals in on form, and I think he's still capable of doing the job here but I don't know if he can be the main man up front for years to come.
 
Haven't really proved himself at the club. Not a failure either by a long shot, but he just isn't consistent enough with his goalscoring.
 
I'd normally be really critical... but literally everyone is struggling with Mourinho in charge. Dont think hes ultimately good enough when you look at the top strikers weve had over the years, but he would benefit with a change of manager like everyone else.
 
I thought he was magnificent, absolutely magnificent. Did you see him? The way he held his position up front there was quite outstanding, target man perfection. How on earth the players couldn’t get the ball into him I don’t know. He made it so easy for our midfield players, they didn’t even need to waste time trying to pick up his runs, how you can’t find a player who doesn’t move with a pass is beyond me.
 
He needs a rest, a blind man could see this, he has been beyond terrible for most of the season. I actually think that a reason we can't play anything resembling slick football is because of lukaku, he really needs to ditch the skinny jeans and Timberland boots combo.
 
Everything our team does is for him to score but he has been horseshit. He will eventually score a couple of goals and people would again start claiming that he is a good striker and that he scored so much for midtable teams that he will also do so for us.

I don't think Lukaku is cutout for a top club, he is good on the counter and when there is space ahead of him. That's why he has been good at the likes of Everton and WBA. His first touch is not good enough for a top club at all.
 
To me it seems the problem is just not Lukaku, its also the way we are set up. The way we play now reminds me very much of how Chelsea played vs good team in Mouhrinos first period there with Drogba as a lone striker. So the problem is not only Lukaku not being good enough, he is also being asked to perform a role he is not good enough to perform and its frankly baffling that Mou cant see that
 
Rest him and bring him back for the Chelsea and Juve games. Needs a breather, service to him is absolutely dreadful and if we can refresh the attack somehow with some fresh legs then he might be able to recharge and come back into the team.
 
His stepovers are at least morbidly amusing. The only person bamboozled by it seems to Lukaku himself.
 
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