We should drop him and play Alexis as a false 9.
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 45
- Goals
- 15
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 5
- Status
Or until Mourinho feels we have the options to replace him (or rather the options to replace Rashford when he replaces Lukaku).
On the bright side, at least this isn't a "my captain shall always play" situation. Everyone (including the player and the manager) knows he's badly off form.
He looks like an amateur weightlifter these days with his chunky frame and protruding gut that could probably fit an entire Mata. Wouldn't be surprised if he's the heaviest player in the league at this point. Unfortunately that's not what we're paying him 200K+ every week for and he needs to get a lot of those pounds off.
In the context of a professional footballer's body - he's obviously not 'fat' compared to the average person. My point is a poster had mentioned Ronaldo, who redefined his physique when he was here, and I feel there is a clear difference between them. One is the peak of discipline (gym, diet, lifestyle) and carries the minimum amount of body fat possible and the other is just a bit more 'normal', hence why he looks ponderous and isn't particularly dynamic. I'd suggest most of this actually comes from his diet as, to your point, he's not in awful shape but he's carrying a lot of unnecessary timber & I'd like to think Man Utd's sports science team's goal isn't to build Akinfenwa mark III'm sorry but noLukaku still has definition in his body, you're making it sound like he put on more fat than muscles when it's obviously not that. I do agree that he's pointlessly heavy now.
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What's clear is when he has time to think, he doesn't.
I remember one glorious game last season where Martial played up top, Pogba played predominantly left and we looked sensational! We kept the ball on the deck, passed and moved and attacked as a team! Everton away I believe!
Oh and then the oaf was fit again and our football turned back to kick and rush under 9's style!
Oh and then the oaf was fit again and our football turned back to kick and rush under 9's style!
Is it a stretch to say smalling has a better touch/control and pass than him?
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I don't know what goes on in the gym at United and what the qualifications of our fitness coaches have... but Lukaku looks more like a heavyweight boxer than footballer! In fact he looks too big to be a heavyweight!
I genuinely think people struggle to just say the obvious with Lukaku. Bellamy blaming wingers tracking back for Lukaku being "isolated". It's utter horse sh*t. Although he's completely right about the fact he has no idea how to position his body to protect the ball.
He has a poor first touch but he can score goals.
He has poor footballing technique and ability but he can score goals.
He’s also a big guy.
He’s basically Bèbè & Bas Dost rolled into one.
He has poor footballing technique and ability but he can score goals.
He’s also a big guy.
He’s basically Bèbè & Bas Dost rolled into one.
This has to be due to different angles or camera work or something. No way has he almost doubled in size since last season.
Just watch a couple of videos then. The change is evident.
He's been playing on the outside of the opposition's left centreback ever since Sanchez arrived. That's the reason for his dip in goalscoring. He's still contributing to the overall play.
Now I can definitely agree with this. I don't know why he decided to add that much muscle mass when strength wasn't much of an issue for him before, it's not like he was getting easily bullied by PL defenders anyway. It's not like the best PL players are physical beats either so whoever put that idea in him and convinced him that it was ok, needs to be shot
He's built to be a sprinter but too bad his job requires a lot more than running fast in a straight line.
Not very good at present, just hope he's not another player that thinks he's made it and doesn't want to improve. I'd drop him for Sunday if Sanchez is fit, play him as a false striker as they say, but to do that we need to keep the ball and Jose doesn't do that?
So he plays I think.
So he plays I think.
To accommodate a player like Lukaku we need to be creating 2-3 times more chances a game.
and for that to happen a team has to give up their whole ability to play football to focus all their effort on getting the best out of one single target man by crossing and hoofing the ball.
That's why players like De Bryune were played out on the wing; to try & get the best out of a target man playing under Jose.
Similar to the Fellaini transfer I always felt we were buying second tier, he's not top four standard striker.
Bad touch, poor decision making, shite finisher.
Bad touch, poor decision making, shite finisher.
Haha. No man, look at his arms in the 2nd pic. He's a monster!
I think we've got a wrestler hoping to make it as a EPL striker on big wages, playing for us.
I don't think that that is the case, here. Lukaku wants to be better and is not satisfied with his current level of play.
He is certainly a hard worker, but the extra weight he is carrying is debilitating.
For those who want to know what it feels like to carry an extra 5kg, try this:
Pack a racksack with something which weighs 5kg. This can be a bag of rice, 5 litre water bottle, a weight plate, whatever you want.
Wear the racksack really tight and go for a 5 minute run. After 5 minutes, stop running, take off the racksack and resume your run - you will see just how easy it feels to run without the 5kg weight.
The fact that he is huffing and puffing all the time (having gained weight) comes as no surprise to me.
Makes me angry that we chucked £75m at Everton for this guy. £75m ffs!
Lukaku can play badly every game, yet is first name on the team sheet. Martial can have one bad game, and he's dropped immediately, regardless if his form was good before the bad game. Someone explain this to me cause I just don't get it...
Also..
Also..
Jose must think he is on Messi's level when on form waiting him that ling and talking like that about him. Deluded.
We played a front 3 of Martial, Mata and Jessi against Everton last season and was my favourite performance in years.
We don’t need this wrestler. He should be a sub.
We don’t need this wrestler. He should be a sub.
Yep. We shouldve built on that game. We started off quite slowly actually but it got better and better as the game went on. The interplay between the front 3 with Pogba pulling the strings from behind was very enjoyable to watch.
Although I really thought I noticed an overall improvement in his game last year (I especially remember the Arsenal away match) I was so surprised at how few shots he seemed to be having per game last season. Part of that is down to the boring football we play but there were times when it seemed he was trying to become a more complete player and it detracted from what he was good at- namely being a selfish striker who was always looking to add to his goal tally by being at the right place at the right time in the box. Now he just looks so lost.
Would like to see him under a different manager before we write him off completely. Even if his play is limited and he'll never be an elite player, in the right set up, he could easily get 25-30 goals a season for a top team.
Would like to see him under a different manager before we write him off completely. Even if his play is limited and he'll never be an elite player, in the right set up, he could easily get 25-30 goals a season for a top team.
http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/man...ould-come-as-no-surprise-to-manchester-united
Maybe someone already posted but this is his norm apparently
Maybe someone already posted but this is his norm apparently
I've said the same thing on this forum. You don't need to be a great observer to see this. He was always patchy and would go through these droughts. Fine for other clubs maybe, but not us. We didn't need another inconsistent player, especially at such a huge cost. He was worth at most £30M.
That Jose and our scouts didn't know this about him, along with his non-existent technique, is just unbelievable.
Cannot wait for the next to see what kinda "magic" he'll pull off this time
We'd create them more easily if he was more mobile up front. It's hard to pass it to someone who hides between defenders
Yes its been mentioned quite a few times that he has barren runs and isn't consistent.
I said that Giroud would have been a better striker in this system but most thought I was joking.
Honestly think he would fit better in this system than Lukaku. But on his current form, we would be more effective playing even Fellaini upfront.
Guy badly needs a rest, and I hope he gets that. Drop him for a couple of games, and maybe he comes back rested and more motivated. Also really needs to slim down a bit. His physique is not ideal for playing football I woudk imagine.
Honestly think he would fit better in this system than Lukaku. But on his current form, we would be more effective playing even Fellaini upfront.
Guy badly needs a rest, and I hope he gets that. Drop him for a couple of games, and maybe he comes back rested and more motivated. Also really needs to slim down a bit. His physique is not ideal for playing football I woudk imagine.
Lukaku's current role is to get the most out of Martial/Sanchez. It's meant that his numbers have suffered in the same way that numbers of Drogba/Benzema/Milito did during certain seasons.
Lukaku's being asked to occupy the space between left centreback and leftback to make space for our left winger to get into the box. His positioning for Martial's goals againts Chelsea illustrates that perfectly.
I appreciate that his goalscoring has dipped a bit, but he's stilll contributing to the team.
His finishing is probably a little bit more wayward than it was when he first joined, but I think people are focusing too much on that. He basically takes two opposition players out of the game .
Lukaku's being asked to occupy the space between left centreback and leftback to make space for our left winger to get into the box. His positioning for Martial's goals againts Chelsea illustrates that perfectly.
I appreciate that his goalscoring has dipped a bit, but he's stilll contributing to the team.
His finishing is probably a little bit more wayward than it was when he first joined, but I think people are focusing too much on that. He basically takes two opposition players out of the game .
Silent domination
I’ve mentioned the same thing since he joined, but I put it down to a lack of ability. Firstly, there is his poor movement which makes it difficult for him to find space to receive the ball in shooting situations with consistency. But more importantly is his lack of footballing ability, which means that other top forwards, he cannot engineer enough shooting opportunities when he does have the ball. You have to earn a shot on goal at this level. Lukaku cannot either work angles for himself to get shots away, not take a good enough first touch to get a quick shooting opportunity. If you watch players like Liverpool’s front 3, Kane or Aguero - they get so many more shots off from pretty much anywhere within 20 yards, whenever they get the ball. They are constantly, twisting then unleashing, spinning then unleashing, hitting them with heir first touch, or creating a yard with their first touch and shooting with their second. All that part needs to be done in advance for Lukaku so ideally he’d have only the goalkeeper between him and the goal whenever he receives it.
Don't have to bend reality to explain his poor form. We've all watched the same matches and know this isn't the case
I've watched this over and over, I don't understand why he tries to control it with his shin rather than lifting his foot up, he has plenty of time to think about it.. It's the type of movement and touch you expect from someone who's never played football before it's bizarre.
Are you sure he’s not just missed a few sitters, and that’s why his numbers have dropped? Seems a much more realistic explanation to me given what we’ve actually seen on the pitch.
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