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2018-19 Performances


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jem

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It is weird to me that United fans expect anything different from Lukaku. He has many qualities and he scores a good few but he will never be top class.


I'm not exactly saying that he 'should have' waited - clearly not. But I am not convinced it was the easy chance to score you lot are making out, and I don't think it was some terrible misjudgement to wait for it to drop a bit... and also I am comparing the two videos... the first is a great chance and he should definitely have scored.
I think the first one was the worse miss, but normally you'd expect him to bury that - he's usually pretty good at heading in crosses. The second one was tricky, but his hesitation sort of spoke to some of the issues some feel he has (lack of instinct, movement, etc.) Maybe that's why it is has bothered people so much. Just speculation on my part.
 
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Icardi is like Hernandez but technically,with regards to control and passing,is far better.You can see the Barca-DNA in him.

He also,similarly to Lukaku,loiter in the penalty box though but has a far more natural instinct for goal.

Personally if it was up to me I would have both Icardi and Lukaku as striking options because individual goalscorers are a rarity.
You can never have enough players who know where the back of the net is and you cant have enough competition either for those roles.
 

Scroto Baggins

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He's good enough for a top 4 team but maybe not good enough for a title winning team. I can't imagine the best clubs being interested in signing him, the likes of Real, Barca, Bayern and even some English clubs.
I think this is about right, he had a poor game against Wolves and hasnt been in the greatest form. I still rate him as a very good striker but feel the likes of Aguero and Kane are a step up from where Lukaku is. He sits in that next bracket of strikers under those two, with Morata and Aubemayang for me.

Some of the posts on here make it seem like he wouldnt get a start at my local pub team tho.
 

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Sanchez, who's absolute garbage at the moment, was thriving in the summer when he palayed in the striker role.

Maybe we should put Sanchez there, Martial or Rashford oj the left and lingard/mata on the right.
 

Cassidy

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Sanchez, who's absolute garbage at the moment, was thriving in the summer when he palayed in the striker role.

Maybe we should put Sanchez there, Martial or Rashford oj the left and lingard/mata on the right.
And Lukaku on the bench?
 

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And Lukaku on the bench?
Well, as our attack is not working like it should, it might be worth a shot. Maybe it'll give some fluidity to our attack.

That or a 442 like in Fergie days, with two strikers in him and Sanchez, two men midfield in Pogba and Fred/Matic and lingard as a right midfielder and Rashford as a left one albeit more advanced. Like Giggs used to play.

Trying Sanchez in the striker position for a game or two can't hurt. At best, we get ourself a wc attacker, at worst, the attack performs as it does right now. Clearly it's not even close to working, no fluidity, no understanding.

Plus, Sanchez has the technical ability to play in tight spaces.
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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Well, as our attack is not working like it should, it might be worth a shot. Maybe it'll give some fluidity to our attack.

That or a 442 like in Fergie days, with two strikers in him and Sanchez, two men midfield in Pogba and Fred/Matic and lingard as a right midfielder and Rashford as a left one albeit more advanced. Like Giggs used to play.

Trying Sanchez in the striker position for a game or two can't hurt. At best, we get ourself a wc attacker, at worst, the attack performs as it does right now. Clearly it's not even close to working, no fluidity, no understanding.

Plus, Sanchez has the technical ability to play in tight spaces.
We drew the last game because Pogba gave the ball away and there wasn't adequate cover with 3 midfielders. Jose would never play him in a 2 man midfield even if he had a prime Makelele next to him.
 

Aresma7

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Not at all, he doesn't do much outside the box but if you provide him with a chance he is arguably the best in Europe at finishing it.
How did that donkey of a player arguably become the best finisher in the box in Europe? He misses easy sitters all the time. In the World Cup he missed so many chances especially in the knock out stages. Already missed many chances for us this season. I’m talking about chances given to him on a silver plate!

Missed the open net Vs Spurs. 1v1 Vs Leicester and Brighton. 1v1 Vs Burnley after rounding the goalie, and instead of just giving it a little poach, he falls out of balance and can’t even finish before the defender catches up with him. The header he scored from the Sanchez assist was an easy sitter yes. That’s one goal. The other goal just landed where he was and he put it away, but that shouldn’t qualify him to being one of Europe’s best!? I think even Smalling is a better finisher than Lukaku. Lukaku couldn’t score on the chance Smalling put away against Watford.

He is so bad, and in my eyes the biggest problem in our club right behind our manager who never drops him. Despite playing like shit. He is almost guaranteed to start the next game anyway. While others on the team often get benched for the next game. I want him out ASAP. We need a top class striker, and there is nothing top class about Lukaku besides his personality which I couldn’t care less of right now. Tired of watching this clumsy man as Manchester United’s top striker.
 

Aresma7

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We drew the last game because Pogba gave the ball away and there wasn't adequate cover with 3 midfielders. Jose would never play him in a 2 man midfield even if he had a prime Makelele next to him.
We drew last games because we couldn’t score more goals than our opposition. If this was city or Liverpool they would have went up a goal. Conceding goals is a part of the game. It happens. All teams concede goals. Better teams bags another one before 90th.
 

el3mel

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We drew last games because we couldn’t score more goals than our opposition. If this was city or Liverpool they would have went up a goal. Conceding goals is a part of the game. It happens. All teams concede goals. Better teams bags another one before 90th.
City drew with Wolves 1-1.
 

Aresma7

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City drew with Wolves 1-1.
That’s true . I forgot that even though city played away while we were at OT. My point is that we should still win even though we concede. City drewing them might have given us some clear cut criticism in the media knowing mou would counter with the city results.
 

criticalanalysis

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You only have to see the reactions from Fellani, Mata and Smalling (!) to know how sh|te that was from Lukaku.

And the bit where he throws his hands in the air like 'omg I can't believe that didn't fall for me or it didn't work'. I'm sure most of us, who play football regularly know that one guy, who always takes the same shit shot or pass and then gives it the 'OHH no, I'm soooo surprised it didn't work this time' when they do it all the time. Like howtf can you not learn how to correct your technique or just to fool everyone you made an effort to really go for it when it was just another one of your lazy/selfish moves? :lol:

That's the bit that annoys me most. The fake 'I soo didn't expect it to happen like that, oh wells, my bad'.
 

el3mel

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That’s true . I forgot that even though city played away while we were at OT. My point is that we should still win even though we concede. City drewing them might have given us some clear cut criticism in the media knowing mou would counter with the city results.
I don't disagree. We should and could have done more against them, and the result is still unacceptable. Was just pointing that they are actually not a bad team themselves imo. Stilll held their own against City.
 

11101

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How did that donkey of a player arguably become the best finisher in the box in Europe? He misses easy sitters all the time. In the World Cup he missed so many chances especially in the knock out stages. Already missed many chances for us this season. I’m talking about chances given to him on a silver plate!

Missed the open net Vs Spurs. 1v1 Vs Leicester and Brighton. 1v1 Vs Burnley after rounding the goalie, and instead of just giving it a little poach, he falls out of balance and can’t even finish before the defender catches up with him. The header he scored from the Sanchez assist was an easy sitter yes. That’s one goal. The other goal just landed where he was and he put it away, but that shouldn’t qualify him to being one of Europe’s best!? I think even Smalling is a better finisher than Lukaku. Lukaku couldn’t score on the chance Smalling put away against Watford.

He is so bad, and in my eyes the biggest problem in our club right behind our manager who never drops him. Despite playing like shit. He is almost guaranteed to start the next game anyway. While others on the team often get benched for the next game. I want him out ASAP. We need a top class striker, and there is nothing top class about Lukaku besides his personality which I couldn’t care less of right now. Tired of watching this clumsy man as Manchester United’s top striker.
Read it again, i was talking about Icardi.
 

ActionJackson

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Touch of a rapist as they say. Clearly the biggest weakness of his game. I can't believe a striker with his touch is worth 85m and considered as a top class player just because he is fast & strong. Just goes to show the decreasing individual quality of football in the last couple of years.
100% agree. Amazed that a player who is so poor technically can end up at 1 of the biggest clubs in the world and play for 1 of the best International sides. To be fair to him his goalscoring record suggests he isn't out of place at United but when I think of what makes a top quality striker i picture somebody who can actually control a football.
 

Cee90

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Playing a lone striker system with a striker with such a limited skillset is foolish.
I was thinking along these lines earlier.

Which striker out there do you think would complement Lukaku though?
 

ForestRGoinUp

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Yes, he scores some goals, none of which are top quality (but tbf we as a team are not scoring many of those) but it has to be said that this guy is the main reason, or one of the prominent reasons, for the lack of fluidity in our attack. It's almost tough/sad to watch him play with his back to goal in crowded spaces. Much like it not being Lingard's fault or Mata's fault or Sanchez's fault for being shoved out to the wing when they aren't built for it, this rhino (don't mean it condescendingly) is not built for the congested football we continue to play. He clearly needs space as his time and goals at Everton would indicate.

Another in a long list of players we've bought to play in a way that doesn't suit them. To this point, he has worked best with Martial - whatever it is, those two seem to be on the closest wavelength. Put them up top together with Sanchez/Lingard at the top of the diamond behind them. Martial is much more capable than Rom (and Sanchez) of receiving the ball in tight spaces and keeping possession. Shaw and Dalot providing the width and Fred Paul and Fellaini (gulp) covering the midfield. With Martial drawing attention, this would seem to isolate Rom a little more often on one defender, which he is clearly capable of bullying.

Derby seems a good game to try this...
 
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James Peril

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Weird.

1st one - should clearly have scored

2nd one - probably no way of scoring even if he had somehow got to the ball ahead of the defender, was not unreasonable to wait for the ball to be strikable towards goal and probably couldn't know the defender was coming across from behind him.

The first I can understand people being annoyed about, the second not so much.
What!? He easily could have done the right movement and smashed that with his left, you don’t take a touch there and invite the defenders to come in. Imagine van Persie getting that chance and it’s a goal 100/100 times.
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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He goes missing too much, I recall Hazard criticising him of hiding during the world cup despite his goals. The same criticism Martial gets should apply to Rom too, he needs to make more runs and get more involved.

I think I heard a stat about Lukaku having less touches than both goalkeepers against Wolves.
 

TMDaines

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Rom has third best xG+xA/90mins this season. Good to see. Shame none of our other players feature. He essentially is our attack.


Wolves wasn’t his finest game, but you’re being reactive and short-sighted if you think he is one of our problems based on the season so far.
 

ForestRGoinUp

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Rom has third best xG+xA/90mins this season. Good to see. Shame none of our other players feature. He essentially is our attack.

Wolves wasn’t his finest game, but you’re being reactive and short-sighted if you think he is one of our problems based on the season so far.
I understand the need to bring stats in to balance out emotional overreaction. Is there one that quantifies the number of our attacks that break down as a result of him losing or misplacing or miscontrolling the ball? Or one that measures the lack of fluidity in our attack due to he (and others) needing several touches to control and move the ball on accurately?
 

Apokalips

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Rom has third best xG+xA/90mins this season. Good to see. Shame none of our other players feature. He essentially is our attack.

Wolves wasn’t his finest game, but you’re being reactive and short-sighted if you think he is one of our problems based on the season so far.
Don't these stats just confirm that he's missing sitters?

Anyway, regardless of stats he just doesn't appear to be ruthless or proactive enough. He can't, or doesn't, create his own shot in the way the very elite forwards do.
 

SAFMUTD

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All our attack is based on him, basically our attack strategy is throwing long balls to Lukaku hope he can manage the 1 or 2 CBs breathing on his neck, control de ball and distribute it to our wingers.

He is being used like he was Diego Costa or Drogba, and eventhough he has the physique to play like that, he isn´t that type of player. He is being critiziced because he isn´t able to deliver in a role that clearly doesn´t suit him.

He is not allowed to have a bad game because all our attack relys on him and if he does not deliver all our attack falls apart, we don´t have a plan b when it comes to attacking (other than throwing Fellaini up) , thats why Mourinho will not sustitute or bench him, because no other player can remotely fill that role. Just remember last season when Lukaku was injured and how toothless our attacked looked.

It´s not coincidence that players that show great skills in the national team, like Lukaku and Rashford, or players that used to shine on other teams like Alexis, just don´t shine under Mourinho´s system. Mourinho requires a very specific type of players to play the way he wants and he has proven to be incapable of changing his strategy, he prefers to adapt players to his system rather than adapt his system to the players eventhough its clearly not working.

I just can´t stop thinking how would Lukaku deliver in an attack that produces him the oportunities. How would he look in Liverpool or City? He will never shine under this particular set up and he won´t improve much since we are not using him to him strenghts, we are just highlighting his weaknesses.
 

Trizy

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We'd be lucky to get £40m for him.

We paid £75m... just let that sink in.
 

Tibs

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Abysmal.

I'd happily give Rashford a run of 3-4 games as striker. His, Martial and Sanchez interchanging as a front 3 surely has to be more effective than Lukaku.
 

sullydnl

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It cannot be said he doesn't get opportunities to score now.
Aye, he's been getting opportunities and isn't scoring them, which has hurt us so far this season.

However, it's still worth remembering that the opposite was the case last season. He scored more than his fair proportion of chances, he just didn't get enough.

The point being that it's entirely fair to criticise him for his current form but it would be disingenuous to say this lack of accuracy is the norm because it isn't. He's in bad form atm but that will improve eventually and his goal returns with it provided we keep creating chances.

In the long run his general play will be what lets us down if anything.
 

Trizy

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Abysmal.

I'd happily give Rashford a run of 3-4 games as striker. His, Martial and Sanchez interchanging as a front 3 surely has to be more effective than Lukaku.
Rashford is shite too, though.

Throw Sanchez up front. Surely that useless feck would score more goals than Lukaku.
 

el3mel

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He's a poacher that's not even clinical enough.

Fully expect the next manager to throw him out of the window if he gets the job. Mourinho's presence is the only thing that's protecting him and it won't last long.
 
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