Robbie Boy
Full Member
They probably hadn't watched him tbf, and just looked at his numbers.There was quite a few saying he was a new , improved player after his stint in Italy. I see the same lump.
They probably hadn't watched him tbf, and just looked at his numbers.There was quite a few saying he was a new , improved player after his stint in Italy. I see the same lump.
The media take was absolutely that he was Tuchel's missing piece and that he elevated Chelsea. No mention of his big game performances.General media making out this was the missing piece etc. Sky jizzing themselves the first Chelsea game of the season they showed, saying he was going to be fantastic. I had some convos with posters on here saying signing Lukaku put you lot ahead of us, and the likes.
Aye, I have no idea how anyone could claim this transfer wasn't totally and utterly over-hyped by the wider media. I was honestly wondering whether I was reading about the same player I had to watch here for 2 seasons.The media take was absolutely that he was Tuchel's missing piece and that he elevated Chelsea. No mention of his big game performances.
I agree with the general point you're making but this Lukaku is a lot better than the version we signed from Everton. His hold up play is much better and he's lethal running in from the channels. He'll also be playing in a similar system to what he did at Inter and Belgium so the goal tally might be similar but his general game play is much better.
His target man abilities were well documented when played for inter he did struggle initially but he developed his game as target man a lot during last season.
Players benefitted lot when playing around Lukaku so why he contributed lot of assists and xga was lot higher too.
Conte absolutely threatened to drop Lukaku unless he learned to play with his back to goal. Youre talking nonsense if you think he doesnt know how to play like that anymore. It is the number one thing Conte made sure Lukaku had in his arsenal and you're in for the rude awakening if you think he is the same player as he left United. I watch majority of Inter Milan games due to my father being a massive fan.
Sorry to disappoint you but Lukaku’s all round game has improved from the time he was here and with the level of support he will get from his Chelsea team mates would only result to many many more goals for Chelsea, something they struggled to consistently do last season.
That Lukaku went on to massively improve, and turned into one of the very best strikers in the world is down to Conte's coaching and his own willingness to put in the work
The issue with Lukaku is that we got the worst version of him and Chelsea are getting the best. Conte did a brilliant job with him. And of course we haven't upgraded in that position as you mention.
He has improved but overall he always was great. He has proven everywhere and internationally. The time he spend here looks like a one off not the norm.
He was. But Conte improved his qualities a lot.
I also don't necessarily think RVP was better with his back to goal than the current iteration of Lukaku - my recollection of RVP is that he was far more clever with his movements and far better at making decisions quickly especially when facing up an opposition defender.
I was one of his biggest critics when he was here, and I don't like him at all. But imo he's been improving his game especially his first touch, hold up and linking.
I see a lot of similarity between today's Lukaku and prime Drogba - both very good "target" strikers, good finishing abilities, decent pace in short sprints, good aerial abilities, incredibly strong but limited creative skills. Prime Drogba had the better "first touch", better passing range, and contributed more to build-up play, but Lukaku appears stronger and may beat Drogba on pure finishing skills.
Neymar is not a striker, Mbappe and Haaland need to get out of their leagues and mature more before comparing them to Lukaku. As it stands this very moment, Lukaku is ahead of both Haaland and Mbappe. Nothing to do with the future potential because an injury can ruin a career, talking about this very moment, and Lukaku is ahead of both.
But that’s just it you’re wrong. He’s not bad at most things you expect from a goal scorer. He has improved play with his back to goal and can now occupy the CB’s faced up or on the half turn. He’s a great header of the ball and his touch has improved tremendously to the point where he can hold up the ball when played into him. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, he has tremendous goal poacher instincts.
So who are these #9’s in the league better than Lukaku?
Not really. He's having a good season.You were saying, @duffer …
Quite a few zingers in there including comparisons to Drogba, Haaland and RvP amongst others. And you’d think Conte was some sort of mystic judging by some of the comments.
Turns out it was just the same player in a shit league.
If you think "Conte has improved his qualities a lot" is "ridiculous fawning" then fair enough.You were saying, @duffer …
Quite a few zingers in there including comparisons to Drogba, Haaland and RvP amongst others. And you’d think Conte was some sort of mystic judging by some of the comments.
Turns out it was just the same player in a shit league.
If you're going to pull an old quote of mine, might as well include the whole context:You were saying, @duffer …
Quite a few zingers in there including comparisons to Drogba, Haaland and RvP amongst others. And you’d think Conte was some sort of mystic judging by some of the comments.
Turns out it was just the same player in a shit league.
Certainly I'd not argue Lukaku is better than RVP. At the same time, I don't think it's fair to say that Lukaku was missing players with incisive passes in the second half as there was no one around him. I do think it's completely correct to say that he missed a huge chance in the first half to play Havertz in when he went for Mount instead, and by that same token Havertz missed a chance to play Lukaku in as well.
I didn’t say it was “ridiculous fawning.”If you think "Conte has improved his qualities a lot" is "ridiculous fawning" then fair enough.
None of those posts seem like ridiculous fawning to me. Overrating him a bit? Some of them sure.
This conversation started because someone said there was "ridiculous fawning on here when he signed for Chelsea".I didn’t say it was “ridiculous fawning.”
Just don't do it again.Apologies @duffer .
Sorry, sirJust don't do it again.
I've told you 1,000,000,000 times, hyperbole is bad.Sorry, sir
Well I would argue that claiming Lukaku could suddenly hold the ball up and head it consistently qualifies as “ridiculous fawning” especially considering most were probably making such judgements based on Youtube clips.This conversation started because someone said there was "ridiculous fawning on here when he signed for Chelsea".
That's what I questioned. I'm not really interested in moving the goalposts.
You didn't quote my full post.You were saying, @duffer …
Quite a few zingers in there including comparisons to Drogba, Haaland and RvP amongst others. And you’d think Conte was some sort of mystic judging by some of the comments.
Turns out it was just the same player in a shit league.
And I said this after watching him in the Chelsea Liverpool match, not after he signed for them. If you remember what he was here you'd see what I said is pretty correct I think.I was one of his biggest critics when he was here, and I don't like him at all. But imo he's been improving his game especially his first touch, hold up and linking. Still, imo he's pretty the same when we talk about finishing, he still needs considerable time and space to deliver a good finish. He'll continue to score against the small teams and disappear when facing better defenders in the top games, as usual I think.
It is normally, but it's kind of amusing when it comes to ribbing oppos. However, I'll endeavour to be better.I've told you 1,000,000,000 times, hyperbole is bad.
Shhhhh. I don’t think he realizes half those posts were from United fans.You didn't quote my full post.
And I said this after watching him in the Chelsea Liverpool match, not after he signed for them. If you remember what he was here you'd see what I said is pretty correct I think.
Ha!Shhhhh. I don’t think he realizes half those posts were from United fans.
Not really, with regards to a conversation about a player.I guess the most important thing is how Chelsea fans feel.
Let's not forget he scored 7 goals in his first 7 games for us. He's only got 3 in 6 for Chelsea but they are playing some proper cannon fodder in the next month. He will rack the goals up in that time but that doesn't mean he's any better.Not really. He's having a good season.
Ha. It was really mostly that @Bleu guy I was remembering I think. Obviously a Chelsea fan but obviously a bit of a nutter as well.Ha!
More than half!
I suspect so.Chelsea will move him on in 2 years or so, for around £50m, to Atletico Madrid or something.
I think he was good for us inutially but got progressively worse and by the end of it just became awful. Given he's come off a terrific season with Inter let's see what his level is now for Chelsea. I don't think I've ever thought he could be a genuinely great CF but possibly a very good one.Let's not forget he scored 7 goals in his first 7 games for us. He's only got 3 in 6 for Chelsea but they are playing some proper cannon fodder in the next month. He will rack the goals up in that time but that doesn't mean he's any better.
It's easy to see Lukaku's flaws when he plays for someone else. And it's easy to focus on his qualities when he plays for your team and scores goals. He is a very strange player, he is clearly good at something but he isn't elite and never will.The funny thing is i remember posting about Rom's flaws when he was at United and was jumped on by many posters some on this thread now saying the same things
A conversation, yes....but all the negativity is coming mostly from opposition fans. Nobody really expects them to feel great about rival team's player. I will admit that many of the Man Utd fan base seems to be overly harsh about the start of Sancho there and he is the player they have wanted for two years.Not really, with regards to a conversation about a player.
The United fans saying those things about him are the same United fans who were saying the same thing when he was here.A conversation, yes....but all the negativity is coming mostly from opposition fans. Nobody really expects them to feel great about rival team's player. I will admit that many of the Man Utd fan base seems to be overly harsh about the start of Sancho there and he is the player they have wanted for two years.
I don't really care?The United fans saying those things about him are the same United fans who were saying the same thing when he was here.
Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s purely partisanship.
How exactly do you measure that?I don't really care?
I am enjoying him on the team and think that our team will continue to play better the longer he is on it. I thought he was pretty good the first year with United. His second season was pretty bad. He does have weaknesses to his overall game. It really becomes necessary to play to his strengths. Like I said, what is really important is if a player is liked by the fan base he plays for.
He was your player, so it was important to how you felt and supported your team. There are Chelsea fans that did not want him and all they still see is his shortcomings. Then you have people that remember how we did not capitalize on our many chances created last year and see that he can help with that. I really hope that he and Timo can start clicking together. The two of them could really help each other's game.How exactly do you measure that?
Even during the ‘Red Rom’ mania when he was signed, I and lots of other people voiced the same misgivings about his game, so our opinions were worth less than those who were in favour, or vice versa?
Why the feck have you put Burnley in the latter bracket?Chelsea's next 6 fixtures are pretty easy (includes Brentford, Norwich, Newcastle and 2x Malmö), so he will probably go on a good run to get the hype train going again. Then they face Burnley, Leicester, Juventus and Man Utd and he will get dragged right back down to earth.
There is no getting away from his record vs top teams. It is what it is. If Chelsea win the title or the CL this season, I doubt many care will about how good or poor Lukaku was vs top teams, especially if he bangs them in vs the rest of the league and gets close to 30 goals in all comps. He will have done his job, in my eyes.Yep, he's a goalscorer and one that's especially good at bullying the non-elite teams. He'll get 20+ goals all competitions included and that's a very good striker for you. The problem is, he's pretty shit vs quality opposition to the point he's a liability and he'll never be elite because of that.
The debate about how good he is will just continue forever because it's easy to pick a side based on "he scores goals" or "what does he do vs elite teams" and just keep going around in circles
Agreed he’ll have succeeded and been a worthwhile signing for you in that case. I think it’s likely all those goals against weaker teams will add up to make him the right call even with his deficiencies. But it does still leave it open to debate how good he is as an individual. In that sense you’re using him as a limited cog in a system, which is pretty far off what most world class strikers tend to do.There is no getting away from his record vs top teams. It is what it is. If Chelsea win the title or the CL this season, I doubt many care will about how good or poor Lukaku was vs top teams, especially if he bangs them in vs the rest of the league and gets close to 30 goals in all comps. He will have done his job, in my eyes.
I think if he gets close to 30 goals this season, a couple of them will inevitably end up being vs top teams, so I don't think he's utterly useless against a decent defence, but yeah, how good he actually is will be a debate that will rage on. I tend to stay clear of them because they tend to go from one extreme to the other.Agreed he’ll have succeeded and been a worthwhile signing for you in that case. I think it’s likely all those goals against weaker teams will add up to make him the right call even with his deficiencies. But it does still leave it open to debate how good he is as an individual. In that sense you’re using him as a limited cog in a system, which is pretty far off what most world class strikers tend to do.