He scored in the previous game. Didn’t seem to help much.
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 45
- Goals
- 15
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 5
- Status
Im not so sure.. he has qualities but he also has clear downsides. He isnt as clinical as you would expect for a 90 mil but limited in his footballing ability striker. I am fine with a striker who doesnt really contribute much or cant control a ball but he does need to score a lot to make up it.
I wont claim that he was the reason we lost last two matches (Bailly, Lindelof and Jones were a bigger part of that) but a real world class striker would have scored in both matches so we would have been 1-0 ahead.
I do like him and he is still quite young so i really hope he turns out to be a goalscoring machine for United.
I like Lukaku, but a few more games like the past two, and I’d like to see him
dropped.
dropped.
He scored 27 goals in all competitions last season. Obviously that's not quite as good as figures like Rooney's 34, or Ronaldo's 42, but I'd say that's because both of them just had ridiculous seasons. If 30 is the benchmark, coming 3 short isn't exactly a crime.
In the seasons that Rooney/Ronaldo didn't get wonder figures, and finished in the low 20's, they were OK because other players (Berba, Tevez, each other) made up the gap. Lukaku didn't really have that luxury. We can't expect him to do it all. Sanchez, Martial and Rashford all have to improve on their goal-scoring figures.
In the seasons that Rooney/Ronaldo didn't get wonder figures, and finished in the low 20's, they were OK because other players (Berba, Tevez, each other) made up the gap. Lukaku didn't really have that luxury. We can't expect him to do it all. Sanchez, Martial and Rashford all have to improve on their goal-scoring figures.
I’d say it’s about even. That’s exactly why I don’t consider him top class. The most prolific strikers takes responsibility for the team through giving advantages in tight and difficult games, something Lukaku lacks. I do like him myself, though. Made it even more painful to watch him vs Spurs. I wish Solskjær could give him a month long crash course in how and where to put the ball.
It's been said before many times but that figure of 27 was padded with goals in the FA cup against weak opponents and similar with CL. He scored 16 in the bread and butter of the Premier League. Rooney would often get a similar amount but surely no one is going to argue that Lukakus all round game isn't several levels below Rooneys ?
If your not adding anything else to the team then 16 league goals is nowhere near enough.
I think you need to have a very limited understanding of football if you don’t see how many strengths Lukaku has to his all round game. He isn’t the same type of player Rooney was (one of our best attackers ever, btw), but he certainly is very far from a poacher/finisher type.
I realize he is a solid player, but I have been struggling to pick out his bonafide strengths (he doesn't even use his physical advantages to shield the ball well). His feet literally look too big and slow at times to play in tight spaces. When I watch him I see a guy who wants to be a different player than he is. I think (don't know) that he sees himself as more of a technical player in the mould of big forwards like Ibra, but that's just not him. To be fair, Ibra is an anomaly.
If he played to his current advantages, then I think he would play the role of disruptor more so than facilitator. I thought that Diego Costa and Drogba were decent comparisons, but they must not be as they found so much success in Mou's system. I don't find it that easy to compare him to other forwards in general, and I think it's down to him trying to be something he's not. Maybe Cavani is the better comparison?
Sounds like you can enlighten me though...
Think what you like, perhaps from what I've seen so far I'm just not that impressed with his all round game.
Was watching his highlight against spurs and noticed this
When he gets the ball on the right , he just whacks his left foot and it hits the first defenders and get cleared. Instead if he could just shimmy left and do a curler that would be more impactful and he might draw a penalty if he gets brought down. I may be reaching here since i don't know if he even has that in his locker.
When he gets the ball on the right , he just whacks his left foot and it hits the first defenders and get cleared. Instead if he could just shimmy left and do a curler that would be more impactful and he might draw a penalty if he gets brought down. I may be reaching here since i don't know if he even has that in his locker.
Aside from DDG, who has been ok over the last 2 seasons? I just find it difficult to assess anyone when the team is generally so bad...
The lad has broken records at an age than any other foreign player in the prem. Internationally he's broken records for Belgium. He had a really good WC and scored goals. People need to stop this forensic look at his game like we didn't have forwards here previously that also had limitations to their game. The big difference is they had Becks, Giggs and Scholes providing the the ammo. These are 3 of best players to wear a Utd shirt, worth over 300m in today's money, it makes a difference.....
I'm not against the guy. I still think he's a good buy. But wish he does not shoot at sight all the time and use other traits.
People on here worry about the chances he misses. To me that's far from Lukaku's biggest issue. What grinds my gears are situations like the one in this video.
So often he's put in great positions but due to him being extremely slow to sort his feet out his shot either gets blocked or he gets dispossessed. A lot of the time, this would not count as a shot on goal but ignores the fact that other strikers would make these count on the stat sheet. His inability to get the ball out of his feet to create an opening for an attempt on goal is one of his biggest flaws.
Lukaku needs clear cut chances with the ball at his feet. He's able to improvise with his headers but is terrible at it with his feet. It probably explains why he rarely scores great goals.
It's like when you're powering something up on a game - you can't move and it's like everything slows down a little bit.
Hehe. The enlightenment age seems to be a few months away at the least ...
But generally, I find this idea that Lukaku should be some kind of specialist because he’s a physical guy is the mistake to make. He is rather aqtually a real good all rounder. Yes, he’s a quite good header of the ball, though far from a Kane, who mainly has a much superior timing. Lukaku has eyes for a good run and will often get in positions, but nothing like an Inzaghi, though he’s normally very efficient (yes, notwithstanding his inefficient start to the season), maybe more so than Kane.
But he’s just as good in the build up. He is no Fellaini, but still holds up the ball better than most. He’ll win more long aireal passes than most, but his timing and awareness stops him being great. He is actually very good with the ball at his feet, and will keep the ball and move past players better than Sanchez by a combination of tecnique and strength and intelligent moves. He passes well in tight spaces, where is where he is most of the time. He is very fast, and runs well with the ball in his feet at high speed, which comes in handy at the counter. I think he probably has the best cross on him in our team (not to difficult), but it’s actually very good. His feet are fairly nimble, but not the nimblest, still, he can play one-two’s as good as the second best of them. He moves over large spaces and draws men with him.
I find he’s got more in common with someone like Benzema than with the players you mention, but people will often expect other things from him based on the way he appears physically. IMO.
Was never in my "I want him at United" radar before Mou bought him. And I think most top teams are moving away from a limited striker like him. But then he plays for Mourinho, where Sanchez and Pogba look like 2nd rate players under him.
That's some serious overrating of Lukaku's abilities there. His poor technique and ball control alone prevent him from being consistently good at most of the things you say he's good at. I wouldn't even say his movement is that good - he's pacy and makes runs, but he also tends to be very static off the ball, and especially when he's waiting for pass in the opponent's box. He's obviously not a donkey like a minority would say, but neither is he a "real good all rounder".
Found myself saying "no he's not" to most of that.
He certainly doesn’t have poor technique. I think what fools most critiques of him is that 1) it’s easy to compare with the specialists. Özil for instance, is a specialist among other things of close control. He’s not as good as Messi at it, but good enough to make most people say he’s darn good, even at the highest level. Mané has an extremely quick step, Costa brilliant assesment, Kane fantastic timing in the air. Lukaku is not at their level in any of their specialitities. If they are at 9, he is at 7. But in all categories. If you compare Lukakus abilities in these areas with Sam Vokes, Richarlison or Glen Murray, he comes out on top in 9 out of 10 categories. His weaknesses aren’t really weak, they’re just below top. So is he below Özil? (A fantastic player!) no. Özil is easily pushed of the ball. He is easily frustrated. He doesn’t pack a shot at all. He ranks from 3 to 5 at best in these categories compared to the avreage PL attacker. Lukaku is far better at all these things. You can’t play a long high ball for özil or Mané. If you play a long running ball to Costa or Kane against Smalling, nothing will happen. But even if you see what happens when Lukaku is played up in tight space in front of the 16 yard box, he’ll control the ball, pass the ball, drible with the ball better than the average PL attackers, even though these are called his weaknesses. Truth is, compared to other candidates for top level attackers, his weaknesses are a lot fewer and a lot less weak. Hence, all rounder.
And 2) I think he’s a bit like Rooney, in that he’s more a product of training and loving football, than he has a particularly God given talent for football. Hence his technique is more variable than, say, a Mata or Silva. He’ll have 4 very good touches and 1 horrible. If you look for these, you’ll notice them. But his first touch isn’t really bad compared to most attackers. It’s just more glitches than those at the top. Which would be worse for a CB than a striker, to be honest.
I dare you to analyse his games for this, and do likewise with Costa and Kane, who are two of the best strikers in the world, and very well rounded, (but slower.)
This was one of the main ‘chances’ that stuck out to me too. People will say proper chances were not created for him, but for top strikers, that is what a ‘chance’ looks like.
Even if that shot was not blocked it had no chance of going in. A little step to open the angle and it’s a shot from 15 yards. I have great issue about the talk of ‘service’ with strikers anyway, it’s a very subjective term.
I don't think he's very good personally. When you look at his record against the top 6 it's abysmal. A striker like that will never win any team the league while they're first choice.
I'm sure you guys could have signed Ronaldo if Ed went all in. He's the forward needed to take United to the next level not Lukaku
I'm sure you guys could have signed Ronaldo if Ed went all in. He's the forward needed to take United to the next level not Lukaku
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Still think we should try him on the right. May balance our forward line better, have Sanchez centrally then either Martial or Rashford on the left.
He's a good striker but will never be world class imo. Aguero, Kane, Firmino are much better than him.
Burnley 0:2 Man Utd
Must be one of the worst 1-1 strikers ive seen. I just have no trust he will score when he goes clear.
Finishing aside I thought he was excellent, absolutely dominated their CBs.
Should've scored about 4 today. Better strikers would have. Played well today holding up play but still a tad disappointing as he's just not clinical enough. Didn't cost us today but cost us twice in previous games and will continue to do so in the future.
Much better!
Good performance but yeah should have had at least another goal.
Scored 2 goals, missed few but his overall game was very good. His link up play, passing was all very good.
Created 4 chances, same as Sanchez and more than any.
Created 4 chances, same as Sanchez and more than any.
Two goals, should have had a penalty and made their defenders look like children at times.
Cue criticism in the matchday thread.
Cue criticism in the matchday thread.
He simply is not good enough. I do not know why gets the MOTM? For a player who has missed so many chances how can he be the MOTM?
Should have had a hat-trick.
Needs to be more clinical, but he was dominant out there.
Needs to be more clinical, but he was dominant out there.
The Caf’s desperation to hate Lukaku is just getting embarrassing. He scored two and should’ve had Mee sent off twice but for a competent referee, yet you have muppets slating him for doing stepovers to (successfully I may add) round the keeper instead. 
Man of the match today.
Man of the match today.
Good performance. Shame he can't finish to save his life at the moment.
Very good performance, let's be honest. Scored 2, great running and movement all game. If he had snatched that final chance and got his hat-trick we'd be talking about a superlative performance.
Beast, more goals in the locker. Worked tirelessly all day, service starting to improve a little bit. I want more chances, don't care if he misses them. More chances created means more goals for Lukaku.
Great game away from these shite misses. Great 2 goals and was always a presence up front. Need to improve his finishing though.
Yes he was strong and held up play well but RVP, RVN, Chicarito, Rooney etc would have had 5 goals at least from the chances today.
Still a bit better than Emile Heskey imo
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