You can say Kane is quite lethal as well, as his scoring record shows.
Lukaku cost us tonight
- Thread starter TheReligion
- Start date
He will never be tier 1. Too big and lacks flair.
I like Lukaku's attitude and his personality overall, but we can't afford a finisher (which is what he is, despite his poor outings recently) in this team right now. We need someone to be more involved in the build-up who can also finish, like we had with Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov.
Slow start to the season but there were times last season he was unplayable. People are far too quick to judge on here. It was our defence that lost us the game. Jones should be no where near this squad.
I'd argue we definitely need competition for Lukaku though. We use to have 4 strikers in the glory days all fighting for a start. Martial and Rashford have proven we can't rely on them when it counts.
I'd argue we definitely need competition for Lukaku though. We use to have 4 strikers in the glory days all fighting for a start. Martial and Rashford have proven we can't rely on them when it counts.
I've said it before... we'll never win the league with Lukaku as our main striker. He just isn't good enough. He only scored 16 goals last season despite playing almost every game.
They are not the stats of a top tier striker. What other top team in the UK or Europe would covet him if he was available?
He's like a slightly better version of Benteke! I'll be amazed if he gets 20 league goals this campaign.
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Yes he's had some bad misses this season so far, but it's early days yet. He's clearly not at his sharpest. To put the blame on him for this result, and the last game, is ignoring the many other problems so not totally fair. But yes he should have buried those chances. Still, I don't think we can reasonably say that our terrible defense would have held up or that the rest of the team would be bothered to perform.
Lukaku may have been at fault for missing some sitters last night but ultimately we are way too reliant on him as a striker for goals which is never a good thing. It was the exact same when Ibra was here. We lack any real threat from the wings or midfield for the most part. Most of what we do seems to hinge on getting the ball in the box for Lukaku, or if that fails, doing the same for Fellaini.
I've seen the likes of Kane, Aguero, Salah all have off days but goals get scored from their other attackers to compensate. Chelsea don't even have a competent striker and it doesn't really affect them. It's shocking that we're so reliant on our #9 for our goals.
I've seen the likes of Kane, Aguero, Salah all have off days but goals get scored from their other attackers to compensate. Chelsea don't even have a competent striker and it doesn't really affect them. It's shocking that we're so reliant on our #9 for our goals.
I really like the bloke, think he's improved a lot since joining us, but his biggest downfall still remains that he wastes far too many chances and it's costing us dearly every week. He scores plenty, his record is proof of that, but he's nowhere near clinical enough for a team like ours that lacks so much creativity, every chance wasted is massive for us.
I like him and dont regret signing him, he was the best available. He was bought with the hope of improving which he hasnt. If he does we will have a top striker but his inconsistent finishing is holding him back.
If one missed shot is what loses you a game then we need a better manager. No striker is perfect. Dele alone missed like 3 sitters alone this game.
Lukaku's all around play has been improving, we just need to stop playing him as a target man if we aren't doing a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 where he's in a partnership with a quick forward like Martial or Sanchez & maybe even Rashford who can take advantage of his hold up and make runs behind the defense. Lingard just doesn't have the ball control or dribbling skills to be effective there.
Personally I'd have Lukaku slim down a little so he's more mobile versatile forward like he was at Everton running the channels on the counter etc.
Lukaku's all around play has been improving, we just need to stop playing him as a target man if we aren't doing a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 where he's in a partnership with a quick forward like Martial or Sanchez & maybe even Rashford who can take advantage of his hold up and make runs behind the defense. Lingard just doesn't have the ball control or dribbling skills to be effective there.
Personally I'd have Lukaku slim down a little so he's more mobile versatile forward like he was at Everton running the channels on the counter etc.
Have you seen our defence?
No way we weren't conceding a goal yesterday... if Lukaku scores that open goal as he should have, then we'd have lost 3-1... hell maybe it would have been 4 or 5-1, as conceding a goal might have made Spurs attack us harder a bit earlier.... who knows.
No way we weren't conceding a goal yesterday... if Lukaku scores that open goal as he should have, then we'd have lost 3-1... hell maybe it would have been 4 or 5-1, as conceding a goal might have made Spurs attack us harder a bit earlier.... who knows.
Nonsense. He put a man of the match performance in against Brazil in quarters.
With better finishing he should have scored 5 goals this season and we should have recorded 9 points.
3 easy chances, in 3 games this season and he somehow messes them up.
Failed to score though, missed sitters vs Japan too
Elite tier 1. What a bunch of football nerds.
Despite missing sitters since the start of the season, Martial is the one that is ostracised, Rashford can't get a look in. Why don't these two get a chance to play up front? I actually thought the formation was better, but Lukaku was struggling to impose himself.
Comical defending cost us far more than poor finishing, but you're right in that Lukaku didn't cover himself in glory last night.
Was crucial in the build up to the winning goals in both games though, so I'd say that compensates for the misses.
Great guy but not good enough to lead an attack of a title winning team.
He'll still score enough goals throughout the season to mask his performances vs top 6.
He'll still score enough goals throughout the season to mask his performances vs top 6.
I cant believe some people are comparing Lukaku to club legend Andy Cole. Lukaku isn't a patch on Cole, his work rate is terrible, lazy and it takes several chances to put the ball in the net. We showed tonight in the first half that longer balls do work in the channels, when you have people upfront prepared to run into the channels aka Lingard. Honestly if I were the manager, the first players out the door would be Lukaku, Fellaini & Lindelöf - never been Utd class.
Agree different game if he takes any of those chances. But people will forget them, 0-3 is only thing they will remember.
cant see him ever being consistent enough or overall good enough for us if I am honest, his build up play has improved in the last 12 months but its still some way short, to many times his inability to control a ball or make a pass threw costs us. not all his fault we need more players to step up as well. hes a big lad with pace but very rarely do you ever see him bully defenders or drag them out of position.
You realise he’s only 25 right, and can improve?
Maybe I should caveat that by saying he can improve with the right guidance.
Yes and Yes. Criminal misses and nothing stuck to him. Still looks heavy and lethargic. He needs a run of games and it will help that we are facing sides he tends to score against coming up.
Missing open goal after open goal has nothing to do with guidance. Any excuse right?
The irony is that we played the best we have done for a while creating 8 chances in the first half alone or whatever it was. It just shows that when we play that way that our CB's are exposed and are not good enough (Jones at least). No wonder Jose wanted another CB. At the very least one who does not get injured every single game.
This is such a lame duck of a thread for me. A striker missing chances should never be what costs you a game because there should be so many other factors. Ultimately our defense (Shaw aside) was appalling and our other attackers did sweet feck all in front of goal themselves.
Lukaku was poor no doubt but blaming one player for a 3-0 loss is ludicrous.
Let's be honest, this is a thread designed purely to absolve Mourinho of blame, by a poster who defends him to the hilt.
Lukaku was poor no doubt but blaming one player for a 3-0 loss is ludicrous.
Let's be honest, this is a thread designed purely to absolve Mourinho of blame, by a poster who defends him to the hilt.
You can’t coach a player at 25 to score open goals. They either have that ingrained in them or they’d don’t. Lukaku is a very useful player when on form. Direct and strong.
But he can’t play football, he can’t hold it up or pass a ball to save his life.
I like him he just needs more competition in the squad.
But he can’t play football, he can’t hold it up or pass a ball to save his life.
I like him he just needs more competition in the squad.
Not good enough, but no feasible alternative on the market. He may have to be replaced from within. I’d play him on the right and Sanchez through the middle. Rashford isn’t the answer, and Mason is undercooked.
He missed one open goal yesterday, from a very tight angle. It was unlucky not to go in, not much to do with skill. He had a few shots he snatched at, which weren’t very good, but he needs to get back into the swing of things.
Been saying it for a while, he lacks some abilities for a top striker. But I hope he'll improve because we need him.
Without a doubt, if he had scored against Brighton and yesterday, we would have played with more ease. As our main striker, should've buried those chances.
I just wonder, if Jose benches him, like he did with many of our players who had a mare. Maybe gives a chance to Sanchez/Rashford/Mata or Martial up front. Doubtful, as Rom's probably his favorite.
Without a doubt, if he had scored against Brighton and yesterday, we would have played with more ease. As our main striker, should've buried those chances.
I just wonder, if Jose benches him, like he did with many of our players who had a mare. Maybe gives a chance to Sanchez/Rashford/Mata or Martial up front. Doubtful, as Rom's probably his favorite.
The open net miss last night was criminal. 75 million quid and can’t score in to an open net on his weaker foot.
Come on mate open goal no keeper. He had the time and angle to finish that. Angle was comfortable for many lower levels of football player to have put away.
Once he’s back in the swing he should be good to go. Still have doubts about what we can ultimately achieve with him
Sorry, but it wasn't a very tight angle and he had time to take it closer to the goal. He also had a free header in the box he didn't even get on target and this was videoed in the warm up.
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I struggle to find his strengths at the moment, which is worrying as we are 3 games in and he hasn't really shown anything to suggest he'll be any better in the next few games. Just sheer blind hope.
My god what was that
Those players were sold "for pittance" because they had a year left on their contracts in most cases and all wanted to leave to play first team football.
Throwing in a player that didn't work out as some kind of argument just doesn't work. Di Maria what at the top of his game, was bought as such and just didn't perform. He didn't adjust to the city or team, his family didn't, he was unhappy and therefor played badly. Schweinsteiger and Falcao were free punts. One was finished as a player and the other came to us too soon into his recovery. The kind of injury he had takes usually about a year to recover from and I mean a year of which he's fit which he wasn't for all his time here. He managed to perform for Monaco because he recovered whilst with us and Chelsea.
How are players supposed to "earn the shirt"? You say that like Mata, Di Maria, Falcao and Schweinsteiger weren't great at other clubs. Are we just going to stop buying young players?[/QUOTE]
If you read my post on V Lindelof you will see the opposite, I am saying that our transfer policy as been scattergun at best and we should be recruiting mostly young British Talent like we used to but with more thorough background checks and a more long term strategy. Wellbeck, who I know personally had 3 years left on his contract, he simply didn't get on with LVG plus he had serious off field problems in the same way that Javier Hernandez didn't get on with LVG. If Danny Wellbeck could sort his injury problems out, even now at probably £25M I would have him back at the club, because he's understands what you must do to play for United. All of the players you mention came from foreign leagues and like most foreign players find the PL pace incredibly difficult to adjust to. Agree on Di Maria but LVG also caused the problem adding to the family not settling by not picking him plus we sold at 15M loss to PSG of all teams, madness!
Lukaku appears to try by gesturing to his team mates and the crowd. He is lazy and wants the ball directly to him otherwise he aint doing anything. He aint good enough for us as well.
Harsh on Rom here. Wont deny those misses against Spurs and Brighton came at a crucial time and he needs to do better. But the service to him at times is non existent. He had less shots per goal last season compared to Kane. He needs consistent service to see the best out of him. It was also his most prolific season across all club competitions so for a first season it was good.
He wont be a total baller like the sub zero strikers named - but he will still get 20+ league goals a season if the service is right. Strikers have bad patches, this as come at a bad time for him so peoples anger is placed on his head.
He wont be a total baller like the sub zero strikers named - but he will still get 20+ league goals a season if the service is right. Strikers have bad patches, this as come at a bad time for him so peoples anger is placed on his head.
What an odd group for comparison. Cole missed loads of chances. Guys like Bergkamp and Sheringham were never particularly prolific forwards as it wasn't their main game.
Phillips was never deemed good enough for a top club to take a punt at him.
Totally agree with this post, well said regarding Lukaku. I think it's harsh to pin all the blame on him and we should not be so reliant on him.
It's also very concerning that with this team if we score first we usually are a lot more comfortable and mostly go on to win the game. When we concede first though the team collectively become nervous. lose confidence and we lose any control of the game. Most of the time I don't see us coming back in games as usually there is not much of a fight-back, hardly any chances created never mind a come back.
With the Utd teams of the past you knew that we may not always salvage a draw or come back to win, but you always knew the team would be riled up, pin the opposition back or at least have sustained period in the game when we would be on top.