I'd have Toni in the same bracket as Forlan, Makaay and Klose, tbh.He is a top Europa League center forward, I'm not saying that as an insult but he is in the Luca Toni, Immobile, Kanouté or Luis Fabiano bracket. These are/were good players with great seasons on their records but they rightfully didn't get the hype that Lukaku got because at the time the couple of tiers above these players were clearly identifiable, you had the likes of Henry, Eto'o, Van Nistelrooy at the top and then below them the likes of Forlan, Makaay or Klose.
That's wrong, Zlatan scored 25 league goals in 2008/09.Just saw a stat saying that Lukaku is the first player since Il Fenomeno Ronaldo to score 20 league goals in Serie A for Inter. I mean what were the likes of Zlatan and co doing. It can't be right, could it?
In a debut season perhaps?Just saw a stat saying that Lukaku is the first player since Il Fenomeno Ronaldo to score 20 league goals in Serie A for Inter. I mean what were the likes of Zlatan and co doing. It can't be right, could it?
I think that sums it up nicely. A transfer that worked out well for everyone involved. I’m glad it’s working out well for him and usually don’t like to see players do well after leaving us. Just feels like he could never be what we need/want but would still a useful player for some other club.Tweet
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First since R9 to score 20 in their first 30 games apparently.In a debut season perhaps?
Makes a lot more sense.First since R9 to score 20 in their first 30 games apparently.
He's not pointing where he wants the ball he's saying "Thats where I would be, if I could be arsed to run"There's always a moment watching Lukaku where you're going to see him in a stationary position pointing exactly where he wants the ball.Always.
Quality player, who would have thunk itTweet
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didn’t realise everything had to be put on a plate for him to score. Mind you, you put any amount of food on a player and clearly he eats it.Quality player, who would have thunk it
Maybe it's just me, but when you have a competent midfield that can create chances, instead of asking your striker to create chances out of thin air, then your strikers suddenly look great...
Nah that's nonsense.
Maybe it's just me (I could be a simpleton on this topic), but maybe your strikers look better when your team is real good at creating chances. Maybe, if I go into the Martial thread, there is a noticeable before/after effect corresponding to the acquisition of Bruno and the return of Pogba, where before was many people saying he should be upgraded on, and after was many people declaring our striker issues solved. Maybe the likes of Lingard and Periera were castigated for this very reason. Ditto for Wan Bissaka and Shaw.didn’t realise everything had to be put on a plate for him to score. Mind you, you put any amount of food on a player and clearly he eats it.
1 goal in 23 games against the top 6 shows he’s far from a quality player. Complete failure, and it’s all down to his lack to professionalism, fitness and woeful first touch. I’m not sure how you can blame the midfield for his complete inadequacies.
pretty sure Rashford, Greenwood and Martial were all doing well before Bruno came along.Maybe it's just me (I could be a simpleton on this topic), but maybe your strikers look better when your team is real good at creating chances. Maybe, if I go into the Martial thread, there is a noticeable before/after effect corresponding to the acquisition of Bruno and the return of Pogba, where before was many people saying he should be upgraded on, and after was many people declaring our striker issues solved. Maybe the likes of Lingard and Periera were castigated for this very reason. Ditto for Wan Bissaka and Shaw.
Lukaku had the benefit of playing with Pogba in his first season though and he still only got 16 league goals in a season where we came comfortably 2nd. We've definitely improved with the addition of Bruno and even more so after the break with Pogba and Rashford coming back but I'd say that Martial/Greenwood/Rashford had a worse midfield to deal with for the first 6 months of this season compared to what Lukaku had when he was here and all three have better goal per minute ratios than Romelu had even before Bruno arrived.Maybe it's just me (I could be a simpleton on this topic), but maybe your strikers look better when your team is real good at creating chances. Maybe, if I go into the Martial thread, there is a noticeable before/after effect corresponding to the acquisition of Bruno and the return of Pogba, where before was many people saying he should be upgraded on, and after was many people declaring our striker issues solved. Maybe the likes of Lingard and Periera were castigated for this very reason. Ditto for Wan Bissaka and Shaw.
Pretty sure we had the same players then as we do now?Quality player, who would have thunk it
Maybe it's just me, but when you have a competent midfield that can create chances, instead of asking your striker to create chances out of thin air, then your strikers suddenly look great...
Nah that's nonsense.
I don't want to face them. Think lukaku can punnish us and Sanchez might be able to play too.Despite his lack of professionalism and match fitness, his antics ; and not to forget his terrible misses for simple tap ins and sitters, horrible touch and completely missing performance against top 6; I bear no ill will against Lukaku.
Now, Angel Di Maria on the other hand. I dislike him to the core, but that is for another thread.
My only wish is that we draw Inter in the Europa, We whoop them over the 2 legs (or 1 leg whichever it is) and Lukaku misses numerous tap ins and sitters while ourfront 3 scores a hattrick each.
We recouped most of Lukaku's transfer fee from Inter, and it was a good move for both parties.
It would be even better if we get bonuses for Lukaku's performance at Inter.
Ora signor Conte, se stai leggendo il Red Cafe, Alexis Sanchez è persino meglio di Romelu Lukaku.
Compralo in fretta, abbiamo bisogno dei soldi per Jadon Sancho che è inutile a differenza di Lukaku.
He was crap the second season apart from 1 week with 6 goals and knocking PSG out, but I thought he was pretty good the first season. Had a nightmare vs City though in the first game.Pretty sure we had the same players then as we do now?
Rashford - Check
Martial - Check
Pogba - Check
He was simply crap for us! The warming touch of Jimmy Saville, clumsy and routinely missed chance laid on for him.
The problem Lukaku has at United is the first manager wanted him to play back to goal and be a target man to which his touch isn't good enough to do and his second manager wanted him to press the opposition defence which he doesn't have the stamina to doQuality player, who would have thunk it
Maybe it's just me, but when you have a competent midfield that can create chances, instead of asking your striker to create chances out of thin air, then your strikers suddenly look great...
Nah that's nonsense.
In all honesty, from what I've seen of Lukaku there isn't much he's done in Italy that we don't already know about. He's continued to put goals past shit sides and continued to look out of place against better ones. Had he stayed he'd have provided a useful option, but Igahlo has been able to provide that withoit any of the baggage that comes with Lukaku.Maybe it's just me (I could be a simpleton on this topic), but maybe your strikers look better when your team is real good at creating chances. Maybe, if I go into the Martial thread, there is a noticeable before/after effect corresponding to the acquisition of Bruno and the return of Pogba, where before was many people saying he should be upgraded on, and after was many people declaring our striker issues solved. Maybe the likes of Lingard and Periera were castigated for this very reason. Ditto for Wan Bissaka and Shaw.
I think a large part of my dislike of Lukaku was how that first manager used him. In the right role against the right teams hes clearly valuable, he's just not suited to a lot of games. He'd be a great squad player but you wouldn't want him to be an automatic starter.The problem Lukaku has at United is the first manager wanted him to play back to goal and be a target man to which his touch isn't good enough to do and his second manager wanted him to press the opposition defence which he doesn't have the stamina to do
He's a very limited player who's only able to thrive in a one specific system which is the one both Everton and Inter deploy
Of course it is a fair point that our forwards look better when they are getting better supply, that is a universal truism in football. Not sure how anyone can argue with you on that. What is also true is that Lukaku always looked far off being a United striker. Even when other forwards performed, he rarely did. His all round game is dreadful, but he is a useful poacher. Against top opposition he was always very easily nullified. His record against the top six is demonstrable of this, while Rashford's for example is very good under the same conditions. It is no surprise that he is knocking in goals in Serie A where the quality of opposition is inherently weaker. It's a good transfer for Inter and the way Conte likes to play. For United, Ole is all about having a fluid front three, with high technical ability, and the ability to play rapidly on the counter. Romelu is antithetical to this approach.Maybe it's just me (I could be a simpleton on this topic), but maybe your strikers look better when your team is real good at creating chances. Maybe, if I go into the Martial thread, there is a noticeable before/after effect corresponding to the acquisition of Bruno and the return of Pogba, where before was many people saying he should be upgraded on, and after was many people declaring our striker issues solved. Maybe the likes of Lingard and Periera were castigated for this very reason. Ditto for Wan Bissaka and Shaw.
I don't know what the bolded meansOf course it is a fair point that our forwards look better when they are getting better supply, that is a universal truism in football. Not sure how anyone can argue with you on that. What is also true is that Lukaku always looked far off being a United striker. Even when other forwards performed, he rarely did. His all round game is dreadful, but he is a useful poacher. Against top opposition he was always very easily nullified. His record against the top six is demonstrable of this, while Rashford's for example is very good under the same conditions. It is no surprise that he is knocking in goals in Serie A where the quality of opposition is inherently weaker. It's a good transfer for Inter and the way Conte likes to play. For United, Ole is all about having a fluid front three, with high technical ability, and the ability to play rapidly on the counter. Romelu is antithetical to this approach.
Past United strikers/CF in the PL - Hughes, Cantona, Yorke, Cole, Ole, RVN, Rooney, Tevez, Berbatov, RVP. I'm sure I'm missing one or two, but the main similarity is that all of these players had the technical ability and matching winning skill to feed off scraps and be the difference. These players played football and could succeed in a variety of styles, no questions asked because their technical ability allowed them to do that. Make something out of nothing not only for yourself but your teammates. Lukaku never had the technical quality a proper United CF/striker has had. Martial has more technical quality than Lukaku in one foot than Rom's two feet combined. That's just a fact. Rom is arguably the better and more natural goal scorer compared to Martial, but you have to do more than just score goals now unless you're Lewandowski. Rom could pass and cross with his left foot well at times, but Martial is the better dribbler, quicker feet (much quicker), links up better in tight spaces, can shoot better from range. Rom is the better header of the ball, makes powerful runs into the box, and can finish well.I don't know what the bolded means
Against top opposition he wasn't the lone underperformer dragging down the rest of the team. I don't recall too many games where he was an actual detriment (City at Old Trafford), but I do recall him providing a key assist to Rashford against Tottenham or Liverpool. Rashford has a great scoring record against the top 6, granted, but that's just one aspect of being a top scorer. All of our strikers, Rashford, Martial and Lukaku, have had dips in performances and have all been questioned and criticized leading up to Ole's arrival.
Yeah he's a poacher. So if you are buying a poacher, what are you supposed to do? Devoid him of supply and hope he can magically convert chances at rates far higher than the league average? Our chance creation was pitiful throughout his time here. And it was just a microcosm of our idiotic transfer "strategy" mostly carried out by Woodward
I agree he's not suited for Ole's style of play and he's found a club with high ambitions he can start at, and by any rational metric he's having a good starting season. Meanwhile we have a young bunch of forwards who can play in Ole's style, and we've finally sorted out our chance creation problem with more to come (maybe Sancho?). It's a happy ending for everyone
You can't really lay the blame at Woodward's feet when he is buying the players the manager wants. It is also worth noting that having three fluid forwards means that they create chances for each other. Lukaku was capable of swinging in the odd decent cross, but his general approach play was appalling, which is why he's been moved on. He only would've been an impact sub here. Yes our play wasn't as good before, but Lukaku was also part of that problem, rather than just a victim of it. Mourinho wanted a big target man and signed Lukaku. Generally a terrible transfer because despite his size, Lukaku has terrible ball control and his hold up play was shocking. When Ole came in, Lukaku gradually lost his place, and we look infinitely better since his departure.I don't know what the bolded means
Against top opposition he wasn't the lone underperformer dragging down the rest of the team. I don't recall too many games where he was an actual detriment (City at Old Trafford), but I do recall him providing a key assist to Rashford against Tottenham or Liverpool. Rashford has a great scoring record against the top 6, granted, but that's just one aspect of being a top scorer. All of our strikers, Rashford, Martial and Lukaku, have had dips in performances and have all been questioned and criticized leading up to Ole's arrival.
Yeah he's a poacher. So if you are buying a poacher, what are you supposed to do? Devoid him of supply and hope he can magically convert chances at rates far higher than the league average? Our chance creation was pitiful throughout his time here. And it was just a microcosm of our idiotic transfer "strategy" mostly carried out by Woodward
I agree he's not suited for Ole's style of play and he's found a club with high ambitions he can start at, and by any rational metric he's having a good starting season. Meanwhile we have a young bunch of forwards who can play in Ole's style, and we've finally sorted out our chance creation problem with more to come (maybe Sancho?). It's a happy ending for everyone
Good post. About as balanced as you can get in a thread as toxic as this one.The problem Lukaku has at United is the first manager wanted him to play back to goal and be a target man to which his touch isn't good enough to do and his second manager wanted him to press the opposition defence which he doesn't have the stamina to do
He's a very limited player who's only able to thrive in a one specific system which is the one both Everton and Inter deploy
i would love this aswell. Only thing is with no fans there he might play ok.My only wish is that we draw Inter in the Europa, We whoop them over the 2 legs (or 1 leg whichever it is) and Lukaku misses numerous tap ins and sitters while ourfront 3 scores a hattrick each.
We recouped most of Lukaku's transfer fee from Inter, and it was a good move for both parties.
It would be even better if we get bonuses for Lukaku's performance at Inter.