It wouldn't have sunk in if I'd posted it a thousand times in fairness.
Romelu Lukaku | Napoli watch
- Thread starter Samid
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It wouldn't have sunk in if I'd posted it a thousand times in fairness.
But he's not a target man. He's a finisher. And he's tearing it up now he's at a team that clearly means business with clear instructions about how to play.
The idea of calling the guy a donkey is crazy. He scores goals, buckets of them. Part of being a good manager is getting the best out of players.
You watched us play right? You saw how he wasted all those chances and fecked up our play with his touch? And then pointing at random teammates? Not denying that sometimes the service was inadequate, but you (and some others) seem to be suggesting that we are only now calling him a donkey, because he's either A.) doing well in italy or B.) to protect the manager. But that doesn't make sense if you watched us play. Maybe Ole is to blame for his fitness issues, for being big and clumsy? I don't know if it's because Serie A is slower, but when I watched him score his goals this season, many times he just blew past the defender like playing with kids. He didn't have as much time in the PL, and him losing a step because of his muscles didn't help either.
Also, most of his critics who were happy to see him leave, also predicted that he would do well with Inter. So this whole notion of being unfair to him, saying he's done, expecting him to fail, etc... this is all bloody revisionism.
He is a potential Ballon d'or winner this year 
. Might sound insane to some.
Although if he wins the Euros with Belgium scoring 5-6 goals and win the league then he a candidate.
Not beyond what Lukaku can do playing for one of the favorites. Good group too for easy goals in the Euros.
Even with that Messi might win it for being Messi and a better player. Although they do often go by trophies won.
So if Messi stand with 0 titles he should not win it.
Even if Lukaku would deserve it he will probably not get it since people vote for it. Lukaku having low popularity is going to hurt him.
Popular Pool players will be ahead by just getting a league win even if they get smashed 5-0 by Atletico and all fail with the national sides.
. Might sound insane to some.Although if he wins the Euros with Belgium scoring 5-6 goals and win the league then he a candidate.
Not beyond what Lukaku can do playing for one of the favorites. Good group too for easy goals in the Euros.
Even with that Messi might win it for being Messi and a better player. Although they do often go by trophies won.
So if Messi stand with 0 titles he should not win it.
Even if Lukaku would deserve it he will probably not get it since people vote for it. Lukaku having low popularity is going to hurt him.
Popular Pool players will be ahead by just getting a league win even if they get smashed 5-0 by Atletico and all fail with the national sides.
I agree with the consensus that Lukaku is a top player who for certain reasons wasn't a 100% right fit for United. As others have said you guys should have known that Lukaku was not happy and looking to move on, that was the problem. Not having the foresight to have a succession plan when you knowingly had a disgruntled player on your books. Sure you guys thought Rashford and Co would pick up the slack but whenever Ive watched United this season you guys lack that true fear factor even with Prime Rashford. Apart from that purple patch from your new young winger you guys haven't really impressed me attacking wise. The beauty of Liverpool is that all our strikers carry a threat and they seemingly take turns to carry the burden of scoring. If you had kept Lukaku and actually played to his strengths or replaced him wisely then you guys would have far more goals than you fo now.
At the same time though you looking at England and top scorer is Jamie Vardy who was playing lower keague football until maybe 26? He's a worse player than Immobile. You'll also find someone called Calvert-Lewin and a guy from the worst team in the league who no one has heard of before this season. There is also Danny Ings as one of the best scorers in England. I dont think there is much to day EPL is much better than Serie A. Biggest difference is money. In terms if good football, there is a lot lacking. I watch Burnley a few times and it makes me wonder how they stay in EPL as it seems they dont have a single player that's actually good at football. Mostly a bunch if guys who are extremely strong and rely on physicality/strength with very little skill. Tjey actually remind me of Chievo in Italy in the past - by far the most boring team which would stay up as they generally had a solid base of players who were there for years and always played hard.
Mate stop quoting that stupid stat . I attend games I know we ain't winning much atm but I understand that Lukaku wasn't suited to whatever style Ole wanted . I love how people on here slag the life out of players when they are playing for us then as soon as they go they are amazing ( Smalling as well ).
I also know he had the worst link up play of any striker I've seen since I started going to games ..
I'm glad he's gone and fair play to him if he does well in Italy but do I miss him ? Nope not at all
He is a potential Ballon d'or winner this year
Although if he wins the Euros with Belgium scoring 5-6 goals and win the league then he a candidate.
Not beyond what Lukaku can do playing for one of the favorites. Good group too for easy goals in the Euros.
Even with that Messi might win it for being Messi and a better player. Although they do often go by trophies won.
So if Messi stand with 0 titles he should not win it.
Even if Lukaku would deserve it he will probably not get it since people vote for it. Lukaku having low popularity is going to hurt him.
Popular Pool players will be ahead by just getting a league win even if they get smashed 5-0 by Atletico and all fail with the national sides.
Behave
Us virtually getting what we paid for him after how he played for us is one of the best pieces of business we have done in years.
Who really fits us though. For our current midtable positions I guess a few player does.
If we want to push for CL titles he is not enough. Given that he often struggles against the harder teams.
I guess for Oles football he didn't fit in, but I don't think that is the way we should go anyway.
For the way I wish we can follow then I think Rashford, Mctominay, Fred, Bruno Pogba (if he wants to stay) suits us.
Then I would keep our youth players and keep Henderson.
Keep most of our defenders too unless we can find better, but I would spend up front first.
Gert top right winger and top forward in if we can. Then add depth unless we can find top defenders that surely improve what we got.
Then see what we can do with our other players up front. Probably keep most of them as squad oftions, but if Martial wants more than that sell him.
If anyone wants to buy Lingard and Pereira sell the guy other wants and keep the other one as backup. Mata retires too.
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Very true this, totally agree. Lukaku was never valued at United under Ole, he became the fall guy and was not part of Ole's plans. Despite his limitations, he still scored some brilliant and crucial goals for United but all is forgotten now, selective memory choosing instead to remember his bad moments which every player has. Selling Lukaku was a big mistake because replacing him was always going to be very hard, what top strikers were available and interested, and for how much? And lack of CL football has negatively affected United's pulling power. Martial is nowhere near Lukaku's level, that is very obvious. Then signing Ighalo instead? Good grief.
It was fairly clear when he was here that the people dismissing him as a donkey were stupid. All his goalscoring at Serie A has done has is further highlight that they were stupid.
None of that means selling him was a mistake though. Sometimes even good players don't fit a team, sometimes even good players reach a point where it is time for them to leave. The mistake was not replacing him.
None of that means selling him was a mistake though. Sometimes even good players don't fit a team, sometimes even good players reach a point where it is time for them to leave. The mistake was not replacing him.
What gets to me is that people are willing to change the narrative because it is Solskjaer. Everything he says sounds like it's straight from PR. He decided to rely on Martial and Rashford only and that certainly has come back to bite him.
Since replacing him was never seriously on the agenda, I think it can even be said that selling him was a mistake.
Credit where it’s due. He plays a very good season and proved a lot of doubters within the Inter fan community wrong.
That being said he is just not good enough to be the number one striker in a team that got the ambition to become the world’s best. Teams like Barca, Real, Bayern, Liverpool or City would never be interested in him.
While I do not think that the Italian league is necessarily worse than the PL I believe most opponents there better fit Lukaku‘s style of play.
I think it was correct to sell him for that price.
That being said he is just not good enough to be the number one striker in a team that got the ambition to become the world’s best. Teams like Barca, Real, Bayern, Liverpool or City would never be interested in him.
While I do not think that the Italian league is necessarily worse than the PL I believe most opponents there better fit Lukaku‘s style of play.
I think it was correct to sell him for that price.
Perfect for us then
Love how you left Juve off that list
. I’d say Juve are certainly after being the best team in the world and are right up there in the top 5, Unlike Bayern.Lukaku was useless for us and his head wasnt in it either. I'd take an 18 year old Greenwood over him any day, and the chances are he'll score more for us this season than Lukaku did last season anyway.
Dig at Zlatan. I actually quite like this
That’s the thing, Ole did have a succession plan, Martial & Greenwood.
That stupid stat proves you wrong, hence it’s stupid.
I attend games, I’m a season ticket holder, but tv or live, anyone with an ounce of sense knows we’ve missed a proper goalscorer this season, especially against the ”lesser” sides.
Did we need an upgrade on Lukaku in my opinion? Absolutely.
I agree with this, If we had Lukaku he would have starved minutes that Greenwood is getting.
So Martial playing CF and Greenwood backup makes 2 players. Why is everyone getting emotional about this? City have Aguero and Jesus.
Pool have 2
Arsenal have 2
Spurs have 1
People will say Greenwood is too young but, wasn't Rashford first team at 18? Rooney? Ronaldo?
Why not. He has the stats and proved himself in England. He's proving himself in Serie A. He can probably do the same in La Liga provided he plays in a system that suits him.
Why would we need an upgrade on Lukaku if as you keep repeatedly posting he’s the 8th best ever striker in the premier league. That’s a pretty hard upgrade .
the other stat you keep banging in about is win percentage. Our forwards are in track to beat Lukakus goals for the season from last year. How is that if we are shitter? Or would Lukaku have scored less aswell?
mot seems your blinded by stats and not actual gameplay.
I agree he needed to be upgraded and that is yet to be done.
Unfortunately there's a lot of footage of him being bafflingly shit as well as the stats though
I don't think many doubted he would score goals over there. I still wouldn't want him here and I feel he would still struggle in some teams e.g. City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barca etc. He can be effective but in very specific set ups and has major limitations still
It's funny how players are so overrated once they leave the club and people forget how awful they were for us. What he does this season won't change how bad he was for us last season. He averaged around 1 goal per month and somehow people believe he would be scoring a lot just because he is doing it in Serie A.
He started so well for us in 2017-18, scoring 7 goals in 7 games. In the remaining 27 games he scored 9 goals.
Aug - September (7 games) - 7 goals
October (3 games) - 0 Goals
November (4 games) - 1 goal
December (7 games) - 2 goals
Jan (3 games) - 2 goals
Feb (3 games) - 2 goals
March (3 games) - 1 goal
April (4 games) - 1 goal
May (0 games)
He averaged around 1 goal per month, after his great start scoring 7 goals in 7 games, he scored 9 goals in other 27 games.
2018-19 was even worse, scored 6 goals in 3 games (brace) and then 6 goals in remaining 26 league games.
Aug (3 games) - 1 goal
Sept (4 games) - 3 goals
October (3 games) - 0 Goals
November (2 games) - 0 goal
December (5 games) - 3 goals
Jan (4 games) - 1 goal
Feb (4 games) - 2 goals
March (2 games) - 2 goals
April (5 games) - 0 goal
May (0 games)
Scored 5 goals in second half of the season. At this point last season he scored 8 league goals, same as Martial this season.
His goal scoring was inconsistent here, people somehow think he would have scored in all the games where we blanked this season. He was decent for us, scored few important goals and also did well in build up in few games, came up with some superb passes but overall it was disappointing transfer, going by his record in the league, the fee we paid, wages he was on and the untouchable status that he played no matter how bad he was.
Problem was never selling him, we did well to get good fee, problem was incompetent board who knew he wanted out from March and still didn't sign a replacement. It's not even like for like replacement, should have spent good money on a goal scoring right wing forward.
and
c) he’s no longer a tub of lard and grossly unfit. A transformation that United under Ole (and Jose, to be fair) were seemingly not interested in or capable of bringing about.
People seem to have been conditioned into believing that the Lukaku of 2018/19, who was indeed terrible, was the only Lukaku there has ever been.
On the basis of their performance together up front away in Moscow in early 2017/18, the same could be said of Martial.
preach. I would not have him back and he will NEVER be good enough for a top team. And by top team I mean contender for Europe's elite competition. His Inter were relegated to the Europa League. He reminds me of Higuain at Napoli. Can help a team challenge Juve for the scudetto but thats about it. This was bound to happen though because anyone who leaves United, we suddenly get threads to shows us "what we been missing"
The guy took so much shit in the media, once he left United the articles somehow changed to Belgian legend and how awesome Lukaku is.
Also very harsh on Higuain, he had few excellent seasons for Madrid too.
@Regulus Arcturus Black whatbdo you have to say about @roonster09 post that shows Lukaku clearly had a shit goal Scoring record here, before ole even came here.
a goal a month and sometimes none over 2 years certainly goes against your claim that ‘he was scoring at a brilliant rate’ in the premier league.
goes to show how stats can be totally misleading and not there to be relied on
a goal a month and sometimes none over 2 years certainly goes against your claim that ‘he was scoring at a brilliant rate’ in the premier league.
goes to show how stats can be totally misleading and not there to be relied on
So you agree but argue about me agreeing?
Odd.
And no stat claims he’s the 8th best striker ever in the Prem, just that he’s got the 8th best strike rate. It was used by myself when someone questioned why he was scoring in serie A and the stat was used to show he scored plenty here too.
As for win rate, do you think we’re better or worse this season or last? Remember now we’ve won 9 in 25.
I agree that he needed upgrading.
I clearly don’t agree with how good you think Lukaku is
I don’t claim anything.
The stats show he was as good a goalscorer in the PL as Andy Cole.
He had an awful last season here as did most of our players, no-one is denying that.
How good do I think Lukaku is?
You said he was scoring at brilliant rate, you actually typed it. I took that as a claim
Well the way you keep banging on about how’s he’s the 8th best (strike rate) you clearly rate him somewhat otherwise what is your point?