He is a professional footballer being paid top-dollar to score goals. That's his KPI.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/09/romelu-lukaku-world-cup-belgium-manchester-united
I gotta say that I thought some caftards were over playing the issue ( I couldn't tell the difference).
I agree, he just looks overweight as a big soft lump, theres no definition or shape to him.It sounds like he just got fat. "A little bit of muscle".
I'd rather he just be honest about not being in good shape as opposed to going along with the bulking for international duty nonsense. The only football where too much bulk is useful is League 2 or whatever Akinfewa is in. So maybe this is just PR story to put a spin on his dietary misstep.
Was he also asked to lose his first touch?
we spent 75m on a striker who needs to work on his first touch....special signing from the special oneEven at Everton he didn’t have a good first touch. You can’t bring something back he never had. He can work on it though.
This is a good point.I actually think him bulking up now is just him finally growing into his grown man body. This is how big he is supposed to be as a grown ass man and I think he has to work incredibly hard to not only get himself in moderate shape but also to sustain that for long periods. Something got to give though, either he has to change his game completely and I'm not sure he is good enough technically to force a new path (all though his mentality says otherwise) or he has to drastically change his physique with heavy training and an eating regime.
Lukaku tried to do the Shaquille O'Neal. Put on more weight/muscle to make it impossible for CBs to stop him. Suprisingly such a strategy does not translate well from the NBA to football.Which stupid moron advised Lukaku to put on weight for Belgium? That guy should be let go from their coaching setup. What a silly thing to do. Also Lukaku has been an idiot too, he already had all the physical prowess needed, all he had to do was improve his first touch to improve his hold up play and his ability to play with his back towards the opposition goal, not put on muscle mass.
Don't think he can improve those aspects of his game tbh, unlike first touch and passing which you can somewhat improve with training, those you've mentioned gotta come naturally imo.Lukaku tried to do the Shaquille O'Neal. Put on more weight/muscle to make it impossible for CBs to stop him. Suprisingly such a strategy does not translate well from the NBA to football.
As you correctly state; Lukaku already had enough muscle to beat defenders(too much in my eyes). His two biggest problems appart from his touch are timing and positioning. His lack of competence in these areas are clearly visible on the pitch. The amount of duels he loses to smaller/weaker CBs is too high, and this is due to his positioning before the duel and that he times his jump wrong. If he can fix these shortcomings then he could potentialy be a starting striker for a title winning team. Suarez and Lewandoski are two players Lukaku should study.
Yeah, if he's a fecking weightlifter.I actually think him bulking up now is just him finally growing into his grown man body. This is how big he is supposed to be as a grown ass man and I think he has to work incredibly hard to not only get himself in moderate shape but also to sustain that for long periods. Something got to give though, either he has to change his game completely and I'm not sure he is good enough technically to force a new path (all though his mentality says otherwise) or he has to drastically change his physique with heavy training and an eating regime.
Surely a fatter foot would have more of a cushion?Was he also asked to lose his first touch?
I agree with this, his weight issues have become more noticeable as the season has gone on. For our medical staff and physios to let this slide is inexplicable.He looks like he's got bigger still since the World Cup so I'm not sure I buy this. Still, what the hell were our coaches doing allowing it?
It doesn't come naturally, it's the type of things that you work on a daily basis from a relatively young age. Good coaching and lots of repetition could improve it but if he doesn't have it at 25 years old, he will most likely never reach a high level in those particular areas for the simple reason that it's near impossible to substitute 10 years of training. Most things in football are the fruit of dozens of thousands of proper repetitions.Don't think he can improve those aspects of his game tbh, unlike first touch and passing which you can somewhat improve with training, those you've mentioned gotta come naturally imo.
It can be "trained", but is more down to understanding and not "muscle memory" as first touch and passing are. But first someone has to identify these problems for him, and seeing the lack of improvements generally in the squad it does not seem to be someone at the club actively trying to improve/help the players. And that the players improvement is to a large extent up to themselves.Don't think he can improve those aspects of his game tbh, unlike first touch and passing which you can somewhat improve with training, those you've mentioned gotta come naturally imo.
Did you even read the article before you started whining?It seems that the club and him only needed half of the season to realise it. Good for them.
That was something that when I came back I knew straight away: ‘Nah, I cannot play in this style like this
I didn't say it's quite impossible, but as you've said it, it's rather improbable he'll ever be able to do it on a level that's required for a top team. But I disagree with a notion that it doesn't have to come naturally, because it's really really hard to drill positional / spatial awareness into someone.It doesn't come naturally, it's the type of things that you work on a daily basis from a relatively young age. Good coaching and lots of repetition could improve it but if he doesn't have it at 25 years old, he will most likely never reach a high level in those particular areas for the simple reason that it's near impossible to substitute 10 years of training. Most things in football are the fruit of dozens of thousands of proper repetitions.
But as I've said above, not impossible but it's really hard to drill positional / spatial awareness into someoneIt can be "trained", but is more down to understanding and not "muscle memory" as first touch and passing are. But first someone has to identify these problems for him, and seeing the lack of improvements generally in the squad it does not seem to be someone at the club actively trying to improve/help the players. And that the players improvement is to a large extent up to themselves.
I didn't say it's quite impossible, but as you've said it, it's rather improbable he'll ever be able to do it on a level that's required for a top team. But I disagree with a notion that it doesn't have to come naturally, because it's really really hard to drill positional / spatial awareness into someone, it's more instinctual.It doesn't come naturally, it's the type of things that you work on a daily basis from a relatively young age. Good coaching and lots of repetition could improve it but if he doesn't have it at 25 years old, he will most likely never reach a high level in those particular areas for the simple reason that it's near impossible to substitute 10 years of training. Most things in football are the fruit of dozens of thousands of proper repetitions.
But as I've said above, not impossible but it's really hard to drill positional / spatial awareness into someone because it depends more on person's instincts.It can be "trained", but is more down to understanding and not "muscle memory" as first touch and passing are. But first someone has to identify these problems for him, and seeing the lack of improvements generally in the squad it does not seem to be someone at the club actively trying to improve/help the players. And that the players improvement is to a large extent up to themselves.
Don't be so hard on yourself, Rom.Yes another excuse for why I (Lukaku) am shit.
Our club is behind on so many areas that this should not be suprising. One a positive note: New people coming in(DoF(we can dream), manager, coaches) can easily find elements to improve.Mind-boggling that a professional football club at the elite level can overlook something as fundamental as whether or not the player is in the optimal condition to play football and also not have an inkling as to what is the right shape for that player to be at their best.
