Lukaku cost us tonight

[TheReligion]

I'm a big fan of his and don't really like singling players out but for me tonight's game had two huge moments and he didn't deliver; the chance in the first half before half time and the chance saved by Lloris immediately after Kane's header.

I think if he had scored either one of those we would have gone on to win quite comfortably. Even if he just took the chance at 0-1 the instant response would have floored Spurs.

You don't get many clear cut opportunities in the games and you certainly can't miss a few of them when you do.

 

[Ballache]

He cost us against Brighton too. I like Lukaku but he's lucky our defenders are a bunch of morons otherwise he'd be getting criticized more.

 

[2 man midfield]

Agree, and I said the same last weekend. If he scored his sitter against Brighton at 0-0, who knows what game we get?

 

[Member 5225]

Agreed - like him and all - but just hasn’t been elite tier 1 good enough.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

In before the lock. Surely this is just a new Lukaku performance thread.

 

[VivaObertan]

This is literally all tonight came down to. We were on top, missed some huge chances and Spurs snatched 2 in quick succession out of nowhere. (Forget the third goal, we were throwing everything at this point and our game plan was out the window.)

People forget football sometimes comes down to something as simple as this.

 

[charlenefan]

He's been shit so far this season (don't forget the miss against Leicester as well) and ultimately not good enough to win a league with

Kane was the difference tonight and over a season players like Kane will be the difference when winning trophies and not winning trophies

All that being said replacing him shouldn't be at the top of our list of priorities not when you look at the state of that defence

 

[Red00012]

He had time after rounding Lloris to get it onto his left and then score ..it was a big moment in the game and we were made pay for it ..he’s decent but he’s never going to be world class.

 

[crossy1686]

Was at the game tonight and he looked knackered from the 40th minute onwards. Doesn't look sharp at all. Could just be that he's rusty is why he's not doing so well at the moment.

 

[AR87]

2nd time this season. He has to be more clinical. That miss tonight was shocking for a top striker.

 

[tomaldinho1]

There were other non performers but he is the most at fault for me. Overhit about three through balls to Lingard on the counter, missed an open goal and some decent chances & general lack of build up play.

Why not just start Martial, genuinely a better all round player

 

[Zlatattack]

He's a good striker but he'll never be RVN, more a bigger less consistent Andy Cole.

Mind you in modern football who is as lethal as RVN? Ronaldo and Messi I suppose.

 

[VeevaVee]

I think it's fair to single him out in this case. We were playing alright apart from him in the first half.

There's only so much weight a good attitude can hold.

His composure and technique is poor.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

Agreed. Last season he was deadly(ish), as his conversion rate across all comps was highly respectable.

Should have two more goals this season, and ultimately a different game today.

 

[el3mel]

I have joined the camp of his critics. He's sure as hell not an elite striker and will never be.

A good stop gap for 1-2 seaaons till a real top striker is available.

 

[izec]

I dont like him, he is a donkey a lot of times. I knew his first touch was shit, but i was expecting him to bury those chances. When he is missing, he is almost useless. This isnt Everton, he should wake up.

 

[Van Piorsing]

He deserves some criticism but what is sad it's that there's only one classic poacher in this team.

 

[bosnian_red]

He's been fighting to prove people wrong his whole career really. He's a good player but not quite at the level that you want a Manchester United striker to be at. Nothing wrong with that, but he's never going to be quite good enough for us and things like today will keep on happening because of his limitations.

 

[Skills]

Under a different manager, I think he'd be playing on the right and definitely not be an undroppable/first name on the team sheet striker.

 

[Bwuk]

I like Lukaku but he has too many weaknesses in his game.

In all honesty - Martial is the best #9 we have. The best touch, control and hold up play.

 

[sullydnl]

I like him a lot and I think that a lot of people are being overly critical after just two games and twenty three minutes (?) of the season.

That said, it's quite true that had Lukaku been better in those two games and twenty three minutes then we we would likely have had much better results.

On the whole though Lukaku was still less at fault than our defence in these last two games. If he cost us then they cost us more.

 

[Cloud7]

Agreed. It was the same against Brighton. He scores those two chances, for all you know the games go completely differently.

Lukaku is a confusing player. I love him as a personality, especially after reading that story where he spoke about how tough things were for him growing up. I had my doubts about him when he signed, but he started off well enough, albeit his league form tapered off after a while.

The reason I feel confused is because I just don’t see him as a top class striker, even though his record so far, mostly prior to signing for United, has been quite good. There just seems to be something missing, that makes me feel like he won’t ever be the true top class striker that we need. He has improved since signing for United, but I can’t help but feel like he has a ceiling that isn’t too high. Of course, I much prefer him to what Morata has shown since signing for Chelsea, but you can’t help but wonder if the club would have been better off signing a temporary stop gap striker, like Vardy, and waited for someone truly top class to show up. Does anyone think that Vardy would actually have scored less than Lukaku here?

Another issue is that we aren’t playing to his strengths at all. He needs to be played through, like we used to do with Chicharito, not try to use him as a target man. That isn’t his strength at all, and the blame for that rests solely on the manager. Still, all things considered, I just don’t feel like he’s the player we can count on in a champions league semi final against Barcelona, to produce a match winning moment for us (yes I know how far we are from that level).

 

[Bobski]

He's a good striker but he'll never be RVN, more a bigger less consistent Andy Cole.

Mind you in modern football who is as lethal as RVN? Ronaldo and Messi I suppose.

He is not as good as Andy Cole. Cole came to Utd as run off the last shoulder goalscorer and developed into a very well rounded CF, almost a trendsetter for how the position moved away from one dimensional scorers. Cole had much better feet, movement and body control than Lukaku and crucially was far more adaptable.

RVN is the better comparison stylistically, 2 scorers who contribute little to the rest of the game, but RVN was so many levels above him

 

[TheReligion]

Was at the game tonight and he looked knackered from the 40th minute onwards. Doesn't look sharp at all. Could just be that he's rusty is why he's not doing so well at the moment.

I think it's fair to single him out in this case. We were playing alright apart from him in the first half.

There's only so much weight a good attitude can hold.

His composure and technique is poor.

The reason I didn't want to single him out as I agree he looks shattered.

Martial has fecked us in the summer a bit really. I think the plan was to rest Lukaku (who absolutely busted his balls for Belgium in the summer) and use him as a 9 however he went AWOL and we ended up using an out of depth Rashford v Leicester.

When that didn't work Lukaku has had to come straight back in and he looks off the pace.

Anyway, that's why we lost tonight.

 

[Un4givableB]

I like Lukaku but he has too many weaknesses in his game.

In all honesty - Martial is the best #9 we have. The best touch, control and hold up play.

Yeah, the more Martial deosn't play the better he gets.

Zero teams would take Martial over Lukaku.

 

[Davs]

Move to Lukaku Performances thread.

I do agree though, he has been poor in front of goal this season and if he took his chances he could have changed the result of our last two losses. I really want him to succeed and think he is honestly unplayable when he's on his game.

 

[Reddevildans]

What's worrying is that he's a flat track bully. Can't have that sort of striker at old Trafford we need big game players. Just look at his stats against the big clubs. Maybe it's a mixture of bad luck in front of goal and lack of creativity behind him but he had the same problem at the knock out stages in the world cup despite being behind kdb and Co. He's improved his general play but he's awful against the big teams.

 

[#07]

Agree with the OP.

I remember the start of 2012-13. We were atrocious. Anyone remember Southampton away? Southampton were far better but Van Persie won us the game by scoring with basically every shot he had.

2012-13 Van Persie puts us 1-0 up at Brighton and tonight, totally different games as a result. That’s the level you need to be at to play centre forward for Man Utd.

 

[Bojan11]

He's a good striker but he'll never be RVN, more a bigger less consistent Andy Cole.

Mind you in modern football who is as lethal as RVN? Ronaldo and Messi I suppose.

I’d take Andy Cole in our attack right now. Hell, I’d take any of the four 99 strikers as our leading striker. That’s how far our standards have dropped.

 

[Bojan11]

Agree with the OP.

I remember the start of 2012-13. We were atrocious. Anyone remember Southampton away? Southampton were far better but Van Persie won us the game by scoring with basically every shot he had.

2012-13 Van Persie puts us 1-0 up at Brighton and tonight, totally different games as a result. That’s the level you need to be at to play centre forward for Man Utd.

Your mate Mourinho signed Lukaku.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

he has started the season badly. Id still blame our defence against tonight though. Starting with Phil Jones......

 

[Canagel]

He should be dropped. Played 3 games. Missed gilt edged chances in all 3 games. He isn't on the same level of some of the previous strikers we've had at the club. We need the strikers to be ruthless and clinical like RVN, RVP and all the others. His general play isn't good enough either and you could perhaps excuse the poor finishing if he was helping us create more in the build up but he isn't. Just too loose in possession. I don't have confidence in him to keep things flowing. He isn't the only problem of course but I am worried.

 

[ash_86]

He should be doing better with his chances.Missing an open goal in game of such magnitude is unforgivable.

 

[Zlatattack]

He is not as good as Andy Cole. Cole came to Utd as run off the last shoulder goalscorer and developed into a very well rounded CF, almost a trendsetter for how the position moved away from one dimensional scorers. Cole had much better feet, movement and body control than Lukaku and crucially was far more adaptable.

RVN is the better comparison stylistically, 2 scorers who contribute little to the rest of the game, but RVN was so many levels above him

My Cole comparison was a lazy stereotype. As a young un I remember the impression that Cole would always miss a few chances before scoring them. Maybe I was just biased because I perfered Ole.

 

[RORY65]

I don't like pin pointing individual missed chances as I think the aim should be to make enough that one miss doesn't matter but we're not that sort of team and are reliant on being clinical and he's missed two very clear chances in the last two games when it's been level and things could have been very different if we had got ahead.

It's a shame that one of his lean spells has coincided with the team in general struggling but he will come good and there will be prolonged spells where he will be brilliant for us as he was for much of last season but is a frustration that he still goes through these patches where he looks really rusty in front of goal and the rest of his game lacks sharpness.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

Said to my Dad the second he missed it that we'll regret it just like we did against Brighton. Chances like that should be bread and butter for a world class striker. He misses far too many easy opportunities, and that includes last season.

Not a two games for him. Largely ineffective all game too.

 

[forevrared]

That's what we get for calling him back early from his post-World Cup vacation. He looks exhausted already and it's not going to get any better without giving him a break. Hope he's on a plane to Dubai as soon as the final whistle blows against Burnley.

 

[MAME DIOUF 32]

What's worrying is that he's a flat track bully. Can't have that sort of striker at old Trafford we need big game players. Just look at his stats against the big clubs. Maybe it's a mixture of bad luck in front of goal and lack of creativity behind him but he had the same problem at the knock out stages in the world cup despite being behind kdb and Co. He's improved his general play but he's awful against the big teams.

Bingo. His numbers mask the reality.

 

[Un4givableB]

What's worrying is that he's a flat track bully. Can't have that sort of striker at old Trafford we need big game players. Just look at his stats against the big clubs. Maybe it's a mixture of bad luck in front of goal and lack of creativity behind him but he had the same problem at the knock out stages in the world cup despite being behind kdb and Co. He's improved his general play but he's awful against the big teams.

I kind of agree with you but he's still the best goalscorer we have, to get someone like Kane we would have pay £150m.

 

[TheReligion]

Agree with the OP.

I remember the start of 2012-13. We were atrocious. Anyone remember Southampton away? Southampton were far better but Van Persie won us the game by scoring with basically every shot he had.

2012-13 Van Persie puts us 1-0 up at Brighton and tonight, totally different games as a result. That’s the level you need to be at to play centre forward for Man Utd.

Very good point with RvP.

As said I think the WC has done us and Martial going AWOL.