Romelu Lukaku | Mourinho Part III | Roma watch

charlenefan

Far less insightful than the other Charley
Joined
Aug 17, 2005
Messages
33,052
The best striker on the pitch was a 39 year old who suffered a career ending injury and was let go for free by us 4 years ago.
We should have done more to keep Zlatan, poor decision to think because we had Lukaku he was surplus after his injury
 

Untd55

Full Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
1,516
So, people moan about him that he doesn't score against bigger teams, but when he does, he doesn't score enough against them. Right, I see where this is going.
 

tenpoless

Full Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
16,176
Location
Fabinho's forehead
He looked at Hakimi as if he was so tired of Hakimi missing the chance when he fecked up a header just earlier.
It's one thing I dislike about him, always acting like he's the correct one when the others feck up despite the mistakes he did in the same match. It must be tiring to have such a team mate.
 

Ibragol

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jan 4, 2017
Messages
35
Location
Sweden
Supports
Milan
Lukaku played really, really good yesterday. And I say that as a milanista. But he lacks some composure in the truly decisive moments. He should have scored another one I think, considering his chances. Ibra, brilliant as always. Two goals and just magnificent hold-up play. He is so intelligent (on the pitch) :)
 

MalcolmTucker

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
1,810
So, people moan about him that he doesn't score against bigger teams, but when he does, he doesn't score enough against them. Right, I see where this is going.
Calling Milan a big team is generous at this time. They finished 6th and 12 points behind Atalanta and Lazio last season in a weak Serie A. They've started this season well but I think it's telling that a 39 year old Ibrahimovic, who many thought would have to retire after his injury for us, can join them 4 years later and score a goal every 45 minutes.

Also, Lukaku scored a tap in then went on to miss a bunch of chances. He's a good finisher when he wants to be but he does miss a lot of sitters - this game isn't an example of him playing well against a good team
 
Last edited:

ShoePolish

Full Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
1,114
We should have done more to keep Zlatan, poor decision to think because we had Lukaku he was surplus after his injury
I think Zlatan was always just a stop-gap, albeit, very good one, due to his age, just as Cavani is now, until we could get Lukaku the summer after. I know Mourinho actually wanted him, but surely, we weren't going to have a 34 year old as a main striker for years to come.
 

MiracleInMadrid

Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
780
He looked at Hakimi as if he was so tired of Hakimi missing the chance when he fecked up a header just earlier.
It's one thing I dislike about him, always acting like he's the correct one when the others feck up despite the mistakes he did in the same match. It must be tiring to have such a team mate.
Totally agree. I uttered similar thoughts about his demeanour when he played for us.

Must be so frustrating to be his teammate, when he constantly acts as if he should be getting the ball in all situations around the opponents box, while he himself being so clumsy and wasteful on the ball.
 

simonhch

Horrible boss
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
14,368
Location
Seventh Heaven
Supports
Urban Combat Preparedness
Lukaku is a good striker in the same way that someone like Pippo Inzaghi was a good striker. He’ll always bag goals because of (a) the areas of the pitch he typically operates in and (b) his tunnel vision for getting an effort on goal. But even his most ardent fans have to concede that he’s largely ineffective at contributing to build up play, and is often the cause of a breakdown in attacking momentum through (a) his lack of intelligent running off the ball and (b) his fairly defective first touch/technical ability.

From a purists point of view he’s never going to be a popular player because he’s not graceful on or off the ball, and doesn’t really contribute to a fluid or free flowing attacking ethos. Virtually every United fan will agree that the aesthetic quality of our football improved enormously when he wasn’t on the pitch, and it’s proven a more cohesive and effective attacking unit since his departure.

I don’t have any interest, one way or another, as to how he does at Inter; but I will say that he’s one of the worst no.9’s I have seen at Utd in my lifetime. And I’ve been actively watching for over 30 years. The fact he cost 75m is mind boggling enough, but pales in comparison to the realisation we managed to recoup our fee.
 

GifLord

Better at GIFs than posts
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
22,898
Location
LALALAND
Lukaku is a good striker in the same way that someone like Pippo Inzaghi was a good striker. He’ll always bag goals because of (a) the areas of the pitch he typically operates in and (b) his tunnel vision for getting an effort on goal. But even his most ardent fans have to concede that he’s largely ineffective at contributing to build up play, and is often the cause of a breakdown in attacking momentum through (a) his lack of intelligent running off the ball and (b) his fairly defective first touch/technical ability.

From a purists point of view he’s never going to be a popular player because he’s not graceful on or off the ball, and doesn’t really contribute to a fluid or free flowing attacking ethos. Virtually every United fan will agree that the aesthetic quality of our football improved enormously when he wasn’t on the pitch, and it’s proven a more cohesive and effective attacking unit since his departure.

I don’t have any interest, one way or another, as to how he does at Inter; but I will say that he’s one of the worst no.9’s I have seen at Utd in my lifetime. And I’ve been actively watching for over 30 years. The fact he cost 75m is mind boggling enough, but pales in comparison to the realisation we managed to recoup our fee.
You're joklng? Inzaghi in his prime was twice the player Lukaku is. Not to mention he was a specialist in breaking offside traps. What's Lukaku even good at? Scoring tap-in's? Any retired striker could do that.
He's absolutely dog shite when you need him the most and then complains like a proper primadonna if you didn't pass the ball to him.
 

simonhch

Horrible boss
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
14,368
Location
Seventh Heaven
Supports
Urban Combat Preparedness
You're joklng? Inzaghi in his prime was twice the player Lukaku is. Not to mention he was a specialist in breaking offside traps. What's Lukaku even good at? Scoring tap-in's? Any retired striker could do that.
He's absolutely dog shite when you need him the most and then complains like a proper primadonna if you didn't pass the ball to him.
I said “good in the same way” and then gave two qualifiers. I didn’t say “as good as”. Fundamental difference. You flew off the handle, but you should only be angry at your own lack of reading comprehension.
 

ghagua

Full Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2012
Messages
5,992
How were his goals missed when all 3 of Greenwood, Rashford and Martial scored more than him in his last season with us? Rashford and Martial also scored more league goals last season than he ever scored with us.

It baffles me that people who watched him play for us for 2 years still think we miss him in any way.

I will let you wonder about the answer. The shite that he was playing under, it's a wonder anyone managed to score. The 36 goals he scored for Inter, we can just hope that one of our strikers score that many.

It baffles what people don't see, a great scorer who is able to bang in the goals to win games.
 

GifLord

Better at GIFs than posts
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
22,898
Location
LALALAND
I will let you wonder about the answer. The shite that he was playing under, it's a wonder anyone managed to score. The 36 goals he scored for Inter, we can just hope that one of our strikers score that many.

It baffles what people don't see, a great scorer who is able to bang in the goals to win games.
He's playing in an inferior league ffs.
 

MalcolmTucker

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
1,810
I will let you wonder about the answer. The shite that he was playing under, it's a wonder anyone managed to score. The 36 goals he scored for Inter, we can just hope that one of our strikers score that many.

It baffles what people don't see, a great scorer who is able to bang in the goals to win games.
I dislike Mourinho as much as the next guy, but we had the exact same points tally over the last two seasons, and in Lukaku's first season we had 81 points and were 2nd so you're making absolutely no sense. You have to remember that for the first part of last season Rashford and Martial were playing ahead of a midfield of McTominay, Fred, Lingard/Pereira and James. Without Pogba and Bruno for half of the season, it's even more impressive that they managed to outscore a £75 million 'proven goalscorer' while also being able to contribute to the team creatively and being able to score more than 1 goal in 23 games against the top 6 (which is Lukaku's embarrassing record for us).

Lukaku was the third top scorer last season in a league where Immobile had a goal every 88 minutes. In a league where a 36 year old Quagliarela scored just as many for midtable Sampdoria the season prior and this season, a 39 year old Zlatan has a goal every 45 minutes so far. Serie A is a weaker league and average players like Muriel, Immobile and Zapata scored at a better minute to goal ratio than Lukaku last season. Comparing his goal tally in Serie A to our players' goal tally in the PL is utterly cretinous to begin with, especially when he already played for us for 2 years and has proven that he was no where near good enough. Immobile broke records last season and scored at a much higher rate than Lukaku yet he got no great fanfare and no big clubs were in for him - what does that tell you?
 
Last edited:

MattofManchester

Full Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Messages
3,748
Lukaku's form for us imo was down to his body size.

He was far too big, and that made him clumsier and much more awkward.
One might have said he was a bit overweight.
The amount of bulk he picked up mid season was utterly ridiculous.

He lost that weight upon going to Italy, and he's picked up massive form. He's not World Class but a great goalscorer and would probably have done the same here.

He hit 24 at Everton before he joined us ffs, so it's slightly ridiculous to say he's only doing it in a weaker league, when he already did it in the Premier League.
Was also never going to score many goals under Jose, given the pragmatic style and how he uses his striker.
 

MalcolmTucker

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
1,810
Lukaku's form for us imo was down to his body size.

He was far too big, and that made him clumsier and much more awkward.
One might have said he was a bit overweight.
The amount of bulk he picked up mid season was utterly ridiculous.

He lost that weight upon going to Italy, and he's picked up massive form. He's not World Class but a great goalscorer and would probably have done the same here.

He hit 24 at Everton before he joined us ffs, so it's slightly ridiculous to say he's only doing it in a weaker league, when he already did it in the Premier League.
Was also never going to score many goals under Jose, given the pragmatic style and how he uses his striker.
While I do agree he is much better at the weight he is now, I don't think you can use it as an excuse. Ultimately, he is responsible for his own weight and the fact he gained so much is a blackspot on him, not an exoneration.

And yes, he did once score 25 goals for Everton, which is a good total and comfortably his best ever season in the PL. However, Danny Ings actually has a better goal to minute ratio last season than Lukaku did that season. So even at his best, he hit the heights of Danny Ings. The rest of his goaltallies in the PL have been analogous to the likes of what Tammy Abraham, Calvin-Lewin and Chris Wood did last season, including for us.

He's a good goalscorer, but I think his goalscoring is incredibly overrated and if you're going to call him great, then you have to chuck in a lot of average strikers in with him.
 
Joined
May 22, 2017
Messages
13,122
While I do agree he is much better at the weight he is now, I don't think you can use it as an excuse. Ultimately, he is responsible for his own weight and the fact he gained so much is a blackspot on him, not an exoneration.

And yes, he did once score 25 goals for Everton, which is a good total and comfortably his best ever season in the PL. However, Danny Ings actually has a better goal to minute ratio last season than Lukaku did that season. So even at his best, he hit the heights of Danny Ings. The rest of his goaltallies in the PL have been analogous to the likes of what Tammy Abraham, Calvin-Lewin and Chris Wood did last season, including for us.

He's a good goalscorer, but I think his goalscoring is incredibly overrated and if you're going to call him great, then you have to chuck in a lot of average strikers in with him.
a comparison to Danny Ings Is very apt. Although I’d take Ings every day of the week, he’s a grafter.

Lukaku’s weight and astonishing fitness tells me everything I need to know about the player.

I respected the fact he grafted to get to United. He was never particularly talented, with a shocking first touch, and was never United class. However, he worked his socks off at Everton.

as soon as he joined United, he acted as if he’d made it. The great players work twice as hard, he took his foot off the pedal, and couldn’t even be bothered to maintain a basic level of fitness. That’s unforgivable. As a result he’s one of the worst first team strikers I’ve seen at the club, and very few have been afforded the slack to play as the sole striker for 18 months, no matter how bad his form was or however unfit and overweight he was.

appalling attitude with skin as thin as paper.
 

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,903
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
Lukaku was a brilliant player at West Brom, Everton and at times for us. Brilliant at Inter. He has games where he looks awful and his touch seems pub standard but he has other games where everything he does looks brilliant. Either way he tends to score and anyone who doesn't rate him I don't understand. Top numbers in top leagues and international level.
He wasn't "brilliant" enough at Everton to make me want him. When the links to us came I was a bit surprised. Jamie Vardy has been better in the premier league than Lukaku. He is the most linear of flat track bully out there. The reason this great Belgium team don't win stuff or get to finals is because Rom is their main striker. Hazard basically called him out for hiding in matches. He will score bundles vs your Tunisia's and Saudi Arabia's but it is no surprise Bobby Martinez opted for De Bruyne as CF vs Brazil and Rom could not score a single goal as they left the group stages. He will probably score 20 goals in these qualifiers but Belgium will not go to the next level with him. The stats will continue to pad.

Okay

*Most people who don't rate Lukaku are weird and bitter. All people who don't rate Lukaku as a very good striker are wrong.
What Bebestation says below. You won't win major Silverware with Rom as your lead striker. Its harsh but apparent.

The problem with Lukaku is not that he is a bad player, but his game & abilities is set in such a unilateral way that you need to change almost the whole team tactically to make him your main and only attacking threat.

For example with his inaccurate first touch and passing - could you play forwards out wide? The CAM or CM's has to play his passing a certain way to get the best out of Lukaku's strengths.

I find Martial is the direct opposite to what Lukaku is, not the most predatory, not the most in behind defences type striker - but he has a great first touch, passing, dribbling abilities alongside a more finesse type finishing.

That's why Mourinho picked one and ditched the other to suit his front line tactics whilst Ole ditched the player that didnt suit his and picked his.
 

Web of Bissaka

Full Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
8,553
Location
Losing to Comeback Winning!
Lukaku really need to cutdown that annoying "come-on you should've pass me the ball" tantrum.

Gahd! So he can feck-up another service passes from his teammates?

Any Inter players need to rip Lukaku up each time he miss open and easy goals. Come on, do it, he freaking need it.
 

Champ

Refuses to acknowledge existence of Ukraine
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Messages
9,888
He's playing in an inferior league ffs.
With Inferior players on his team then surely?

It's all relative.

Are you actually trying to say Lukaku is too good for the Italian league? As that's what's coming across.
 

clarkydaz

Full Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2013
Messages
13,354
Location
manchester
The two best strikers in the PL last season were a 33 year old Jamie Vardy, a former alcoholic who started his premier league career at 28, and Danny Ings.
Weve binned off a load of deadwood considered not good enough for us to serie A. Zlatan is around 39 with a bust knee
 

Lord SInister

Full Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2015
Messages
2,967
Location
where grasses are green and girls are pretty
Lukaku is a good goal scorer, he will always get himself goals. His goal records show that.
But the thing is, he isn't the goal scorer/player we needed to get back at top. Our dreams and aspirations and his qualities didn't match.
Yes at Inter he seems like a good fit, but at United, he wasn't enough, because when we think of striker, we remember Rudd van Nistelrooy (who was also criticised by fans for not being fluid enough later on, hence we brought Saha), peak Rooney, Tevez, Robin van Persie and even a Berbatov(although he also was deemed unfit after a while because he didn't suited our play). Lukaku is not that kind of striker.
We have grown up watching United strikers who could link up and get us play an attractive brand of football, anything less makes us want them out of the club.
Lukaku was always going to be a misfit, because he isn't that kind of striker.


Anyways this is all attention I am going to give that whiny buffoon.
 

rotherham_red

Full Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2005
Messages
7,407
We should have done more to keep Zlatan, poor decision to think because we had Lukaku he was surplus after his injury
Tbf, he was only ever here on a short-term deal and had an injury which would have run the risk of ending the career of someone ten years younger. We re-signed him but it was apparent that he needed a lot more time to get back his sharpness which he was never going to get in Europe.

He played a blinder by going to MLS and bringing up his fitness by playing regularly and feasting on the shit over there, and then proceeding to move to the serene pace of Serie A afterwards.

At the time it was the right call, IMO
 

MalcolmTucker

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
1,810
The two best strikers in the PL last season were a 33 year old Jamie Vardy, a former alcoholic who started his premier league career at 28, and Danny Ings.
Former alcoholic Jamie Vardy and Danny Ings have already scored more goals THIS SEASON against the top 6 than Lukaku ever scored for us - let that sink in :lol:
 

Flexdegea

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2013
Messages
2,342
Why are people still talking about this guy.


He was Brutal. On paper seemed it he done ok at us, but that is no the reality of it. Dont think I've seen a worse big money striker signing ever. Disappeared in big games and the ball literally just bounced of him game to game. He was the main reason our attack was so poor in games as most attacks seemed to break down when the ball came to him.


People say he hadnt the service, I laughed at that one, must been demoralising for other players.


I remember him and Pogba where best of mates, few months of playing together you could see that relationship disappear after the amount of misplaced control lukaku made :lol:



After all the crap he spoke about the club too. Good riddance. He should be forgot about
 

NotThatSoph

Full Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2019
Messages
3,757
Weve binned off a load of deadwood considered not good enough for us to serie A. Zlatan is around 39 with a bust knee
Yes, and Jamie Vardy is a former drunk and Danny Ings is Danny Ings. Coutinho was shit in Italy and great for Liverpool. Salah is doing way better at Liverpool than he ever did for Fiorentina or Roma. Zlatan is a great player who has had two great games. Last season he got a respectable 10 in 18.

If Zlatan having two great games says a lot about Serie A, what does Danny Ings running riot in the PL say?

Former alcoholic Jamie Vardy and Danny Ings have already scored more goals THIS SEASON against the top 6 than Lukaku ever scored for us - let that sink in :lol:
Yes, so the league is shit, then.

Try following the logic for just a second, I know it's hard when you're obsessed with Lukaku. If a 39 year old Zlatan being the best striker on the pitch says something about Serie A, a former alcoholic and Danny Ings being the best strikers in the PL says what about that league? This isn't about Lukaku, as hard as that is to imagine.
 

drmuji

Full Member
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
2,314
Location
Lahore, Pakistan
Yes, and Jamie Vardy is a former drunk and Danny Ings is Danny Ings. Coutinho was shit in Italy and great for Liverpool. Salah is doing way better at Liverpool than he ever did for Fiorentina or Roma. Zlatan is a great player who has had two great games. Last season he got a respectable 10 in 18.

If Zlatan having two great games says a lot about Serie A, what does Danny Ings running riot in the PL say?



Yes, so the league is shit, then.

Try following the logic for just a second, I know it's hard when you're obsessed with Lukaku. If a 39 year old Zlatan being the best striker on the pitch says something about Serie A, a former alcoholic and Danny Ings being the best strikers in the PL says what about that league? This isn't about Lukaku, as hard as that is to imagine.
Its always about lukaku. Ohhhh Gawwwwd.... Why do people start putting logic into things, when it comes to lukaku. No body should use any brains when lukaku or Mourinho are mentioned.
 

Stacks

Full Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
10,903
Location
Between a rock and Gibraltar
Why are people still talking about this guy.


He was Brutal. On paper seemed it he done ok at us, but that is no the reality of it. Dont think I've seen a worse big money striker signing ever. Disappeared in big games and the ball literally just bounced of him game to game. He was the main reason our attack was so poor in games as most attacks seemed to break down when the ball came to him.


People say he hadnt the service, I laughed at that one, must been demoralising for other players.


I remember him and Pogba where best of mates, few months of playing together you could see that relationship disappear after the amount of misplaced control lukaku made :lol:



After all the crap he spoke about the club too. Good riddance. He should be forgot about
Every player who leaves, our fans itch to lament and show us what we are missing, irrespective as to how poor they was to us. The ideal CAF team would have Depay playing SS behind Lukaku, with Di Maria LW, Smalling CB, Young RB
 

InfiniteBoredom

Full Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2013
Messages
13,547
Location
Melbourne
Every player who leaves, our fans itch to lament and show us what we are missing, irrespective as to how poor they was to us. The ideal CAF team would have Depay playing SS behind Lukaku, with Di Maria LW, Smalling CB, Young RB
We have people calling to bring Danny Welbeck back.

This fan base doesn’t know how to let go.

Lukaku is a good striker with far too many flaws in his game to ever be an elite striker, that’s the story at the end of the day. Now you can argue that as a club, we are not in a position to demand an elite striker or nothing, but a) there’s nothing wrong with continually striving for that, whether by developing our own or looking to bring in potential world beaters and b) Lukaku’s performances in the 2 seasons he was with us were statistically below what our frontline produced last season, to say nothing of the aesthetic quality, and largely in line with what he produced before coming to us, which really doesn’t deserve fawning over.
 

MalcolmTucker

Full Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
Messages
1,810
Yes, so the league is shit, then.

Try following the logic for just a second, I know it's hard when you're obsessed with Lukaku. If a 39 year old Zlatan being the best striker on the pitch says something about Serie A, a former alcoholic and Danny Ings being the best strikers in the PL says what about that league? This isn't about Lukaku, as hard as that is to imagine.
Your logic is based on me thinking Vardy and Danny Ings are shit which I don't, at least not as shit as Lukaku anyway :lol:

And all of this is us just using a metric which is Lukaku's strong point. Lukaku is a decent goalscorer (at least against weaker opposition), but is average to woeful in regards to any other area. I'm willing to be corrected on this, but I don't remember him ever scoring a goal for us that he wasn't expected to score. He never created a goal from nothing like Rashford did vs. Brighton or what Martial did vs. Watford or Greenwood did against Bournemouth. He isn't a well rounded player, so the fact that his goalscoring isn't better than Vardy or Ings (or even our more rounded forwards) in the PL or Immobile, Zapata or Muriel in Serie A highlights how overrated he is.