Is this the place to be discussing his political views?
Lukaku on the right wing
- Thread starter luke511
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
Considering we have nothing there I'd be fine with it. Means we can put Sanchez up front, who despite being crap has much more to his game.
He is a decent crosser but doesn't have the agility or dribbling ability to stay out wide.
We have no one, and his best play comes from that position really its a nobrainer to try out something different like this.
I said this before hes average as a target man he works best when hes running onto the ball and would work better out on the right.
He’s not a target man so I think the OP’s suggestion has some legs. He can’t make the ball stick when played long to him, his control in that phase is very poor. But give him a ball to run onto he has the power to go past people and deliver a cross or shot on the cut in. Full backs would not like to come up against him played wider. Would also give Sanchez an opportunity to play a floating role across the front line, which I think he is best at.
Drifting out to the right losing your CB marker is much different to starting out wide. I don’t see it working aswell as people think. Would you be confident in him controlling the ball in tight spaces out wide with a FB marker? I don’t really fancy seeing more of his step overs too trying to beat the FB, his lack of right foot would make the cut in cross way too obvious. Bench please. His had way more 90mins than anyone else. It’s his turn to sit down.
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Right now it works because he drifts right from the centre. I suspect if he was our full time RW he might struggle, especially having to track back and them carry the ball from midfield.
I think he's a big guy, but also pretty quick. We should stop lumping the ball into him and instead play it into the channels, give him something to run onto and let him use his power to hold off defenders.
I think he's a big guy, but also pretty quick. We should stop lumping the ball into him and instead play it into the channels, give him something to run onto and let him use his power to hold off defenders.
Honestly he is a different player when he play's for Belgium.
Maybe not in the traditional sense but he's good at taking players on.
Full backs aren't that tight though? He'd have a lot more freedom compared to him having two centre backs man mark him for the majority of the game. A set up with Lukaku - Dalot on the right and Martial - Shaw on the left for the rest of the season would be a game changer in my opinion, that stretched width on the right will open up space and the added quality in delivery would get us more goals. Plus we can then have a more elegant player in the centre (questionable whether Sanchez is up to it) to glue the attack together better.
Just buy a RW ffs
I've been crying out for one for years as well trust me, I'm only thinking short term here.
I really don't see the purpose of him at the club. We don't play a game that suits his direct style.
I was thinking this over the weekend but it won't happen. Hope we try it though.
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I think he needs resting. We need to try a front three of Sanchez, Rashford and Martial. Then we can't pump the ball up to the big man as we won't have one. They'll have to make intelligent runs..........won't they? :-S
Lukaku needs to try playing wider. Apart form Young, he's the best crosser we have.
Lukaku needs to try playing wider. Apart form Young, he's the best crosser we have.
Love this!
I got somehow convinced by this a while back when talking with posters here. But that's purely in an counter attack situation. When I now think about what many here mention, shielding the full back, taking on his full back or especially, being out wide against a team that sets up to defend, it's all rather pointless.
The problem with him aside from not being good enough, is that he is being used as a target man and he's got none of the skills for it. He's not good playing with his back to goal, he almost never times his jumps well when fighting for a hoof ball and his link up play is extremely hit and miss. He is good running at a defense on the counter and he can run the channels. That's about it.
The problem with him aside from not being good enough, is that he is being used as a target man and he's got none of the skills for it. He's not good playing with his back to goal, he almost never times his jumps well when fighting for a hoof ball and his link up play is extremely hit and miss. He is good running at a defense on the counter and he can run the channels. That's about it.
Lukaku Lukaku running down then wing,
Lukaku Lukaku runs through anything
Good in theory
Not reality
Lukaku... Lukaku... Lukaku
Lukaku Lukaku runs through anything
Good in theory
Not reality
Lukaku... Lukaku... Lukaku
Yous lots are all idiots. Hes successful in that position when he's dragged a center back wide or facing a fullback who are all smaller than him, it's very different from receiving the ball on the half way line and having to track back for half the match
Why is he incapable of tracking back? If the likes of Robben, Salah and Messi can occupy the wide right position and do so then so can Lukaku, he's a big guy he can do the job. That being said he wouldn't even be tracking back as much as you make out either. He can also face small full backs and lose markers playing the wide right position as well, probably a lot more frequently than he does when playing as a striker. Awful post
It's because he's a big guy which is why he can't do the job. To expect someone of Lukaku's size to run up and down the wing for 90 minutes suggest you don't know how the human body and it's conditioning works
Comparing Robben, Salah and Messi to Lukaku is a first. Assume a wind up?Why is he incapable of tracking back? If the likes of Robben, Salah and Messi can occupy the wide right position and do so then so can Lukaku, he's a big guy he can do the job. That being said he wouldn't even be tracking back as much as you make out either. He can also face small full backs and lose markers playing the wide right position as well, probably a lot more frequently than he does when playing as a striker. Awful post
Not in a technical sense, but more to do with their positioning on the field and their defensive vulnerabilities. Also I'd like to think he does have the fitness to hold up a wide forward role with the occasion of tracking back and defending.
The guy is a poacher, a finisher of moves and thats about it. His touch is terrible, cant dribble, not particularly known for his vision, has about the same agility of a double decker bus. Takes an age to get going unless hes running on tk a throughball. Haven't even got in to the defensive responsibility of a winger and what that entails.
OK... I'll refer to what the other poster said in that case re body type. Lukaku would be gassed within 10mins, he's near enough 100kgs - doesn't matter how fit he is you can't carry that much weight and cover that distance effectively because the guys you are tracking are like whippets.
If that's a case he shouldn't be playing as our striker either, I've seen Lukaku outrun defenders for pace in the dying parts of a game, sprinting through the whole field. I can't get on board with that idea that he can't physically do it.
I agree, shouldn't be our striker. I've always maintained he needs to look after his physique more - he's way too bulky, not lean at all which all impacts on acceleration/reactions massively. Straight line speed he's probably up there with the fastest when he gets going but when do you ever get enough room to actually do a 50 metre sprint in football.
I don't understand what you can't get on board with though, he could do it for a while but not for 90mins effectively. Not a slight against him just not his position, Vidic would have been a rubbish LB for example. Name one wide player anywhere near his size - there's a reason there aren't any and it's because they are always on the move.
I agree with the argument that his size is a problem too, mentioned it several times on here about how he'll never get better technically because it's much harder to be elegant when you're that size. I'm just saying a striker should be doing as much running as the winger/wide forward in a game, which means theres not that much difference between him playing as striker or as a wide right forward/winger in terms of fitness. Mandzukic managed to pull it off and he's not much smaller than Lukaku.
On the right wing for Inter and we get Icardi in exchange.
People are conflicting a wide forward and a winger.
I genuinely think the idea of Lukaku on the right might be the worst suggestion I've ever heard on here.
He does ok now and then in that area because he's furthest forward and has a defender isolated. That's why we tell him move into the channel from up front because it gives him the space. If he started from RW then he'd struggle because he'd have less space and would be faced with 2 or 3 players. Its obvious to me that he needs space to operate in when he's running with the ball.
He does ok now and then in that area because he's furthest forward and has a defender isolated. That's why we tell him move into the channel from up front because it gives him the space. If he started from RW then he'd struggle because he'd have less space and would be faced with 2 or 3 players. Its obvious to me that he needs space to operate in when he's running with the ball.
Exactly this. It's also the reason I believe he'll always struggle at a big club where the majority of games the opposition sit deep. As it stands firstly United are too slow in getting the ball forward to exploit these counter attacking situations and secondly even if we did the teams we play rarely only leave one or two players back whatever the situation. Even at opposition corners for example there's generally more than enough defenders/midfielders left back to deal with him.
Truthfully the best way to utilise Lukaku is from the bench. He hasn't got the stamina to use his power and pace for more than a handful of times per game. If that handful of times all occurred in the final half an hour not only would it be better for his teammates who get frustrated due to the sporadic/rare nature of his runs; he'd also be up against defenders who're fatigued whilst being fresh himself.
He's not good enough for UTD, never has been, never will be. Simple as that.
He has so many flaws to his game that it outweighs his strengths, and to think that I thought Rooney's first touch was bad.
What is his greatest quality? He's powerful. Ok. For a big, strong striker the very, absolute least you would expect him to do is look after the ball on a consistent basis. Doing it once or twice a game is not good enough, especially when its done in the middle of the park.
For a supposedly very intelligent footballer (some say), he sure looks like someone who's operating on half a brain.
We need to get rid of him or buy a better quality of striker with more in his locker like the UTD strikers of the past. Lukaku can be the new Fellaini for us in the last 10-15 minutes of the game.
Not a UTD striker, not in my book.
He has so many flaws to his game that it outweighs his strengths, and to think that I thought Rooney's first touch was bad.
What is his greatest quality? He's powerful. Ok. For a big, strong striker the very, absolute least you would expect him to do is look after the ball on a consistent basis. Doing it once or twice a game is not good enough, especially when its done in the middle of the park.
For a supposedly very intelligent footballer (some say), he sure looks like someone who's operating on half a brain.
We need to get rid of him or buy a better quality of striker with more in his locker like the UTD strikers of the past. Lukaku can be the new Fellaini for us in the last 10-15 minutes of the game.
Not a UTD striker, not in my book.
He was the best that was available at the time. I’m not his biggest fan at all, but what we need is another striker to add competition and a manager that won’t play Lukuku into the ground no matter what his form.
I've been saying this for a number of months now, it solves the dilemma with Martial & Sanchez also.
I personally wanted before seeing this thread to have Alexis as a false nine and Martial/Rashford on the left and Lukaku on the right making runs in behind. But after looking at this thread I see that playing as a striker and drifting wide and taking your maker with you and isolating them is completely different to starting out wide. Could work if on the counter like against Brazil for Belgium but otherwise no.
Worst suggestion? Get off it mate, he played on the right for Belgium vs Brazil and it was his best performance of the world cup.
Thanks for this.
For the people that haven’t seen it: it’s a compilation so keep watching after the first goal.
Lukaku on the right and sometimes switching with Sanchez during the game would make us less predictible too. Also we can play Martial on the left.