Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea

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Top teams have good defences, that's why they are at the top. Are there any strikers today that have scored many goals against top teams?
Martial and Rashford have scored against all of the English traditional top 5/6 and been in the league less time than Lukaku.

Winning goals too.
 

Botim

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This "scoring against top teams" stat is only important in tournaments. In the league, it's way more important to be a generally prolific striker.

Lukaku had a 1 in 2 scoring record for Everton and West Brom and a 2 in 3 record for Inter Milan. (Let's call his Utd tenure a blip)
Given he seems to be in his absolute prime, it's pretty realistic to expect him to at least equal these numbers at Chelsea. So something like 20 in the PL and 25-30 in all competitions I would guess.
 

tenpoless

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The only strikers almost guaranteed to do well at Chelsea are Ronaldo, younger Zlatan and maybe Lewandowski. I mean after Drogba who would you call a very good striker at Chelsea? a decent striker maybe but I can't imagine Lukaku just showing up and starts tearing the league apart. It doesn't compute. Note how he starts bigging himself up again and that's how his performances used to drop. Still the same person.
 

roonster09

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This "scoring against top teams" stat is only important in tournaments. In the league, it's way more important to be a generally prolific striker.

Lukaku had a 1 in 2 scoring record for Everton and West Brom and a 2 in 3 record for Inter Milan. (Let's call his Utd tenure a blip)
Given he seems to be in his absolute prime, it's pretty realistic to expect him to at least equal these numbers at Chelsea. So something like 20 in the PL and 25-30 in all competitions I would guess.
His numbers for Inter isn't any different from his numbers at ManUtd, only difference is he took penalties.
 

WeePat

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The only strikers almost guaranteed to do well at Chelsea are Ronaldo, younger Zlatan and maybe Lewandowski. I mean after Drogba who would you call a very good striker at Chelsea? a decent striker maybe but I can't imagine Lukaku just showing up and starts tearing the league apart. It doesn't compute. Note how he starts bigging himself up again and that's how his performances used to drop. Still the same person.
You need to put some respect on Diego Costa's name.
 

Eugenius

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Yeah for sure - doubt we ever see the likes of Ronaldo from a longevity standpoint ever again barring some sort of massive medical breakthrough.



That's fair enough - I'd respectfully disagree; Lukaku has been the one consistent player for Belgium amongst their superstars for the past couple years given Hazard & KdB's injuries and/or loss of form and I don't think it's ridiculous to say he's carried them. 50 goals from 50 caps is impressive no matter who you're scoring against, in my opinion.
For what it's worth look at the goals scored below. Take out his penalties against Italy and England, when was the last time he scored a goal against a half international decent team?

What impact has he made in the later stages of a tournament?

It's fair to say he still has to score against what's ahead of him. But there's a fair few average players with good records like Podolski and Crouch who have done similar stat padding.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_goals_scored_by_Romelu_Lukaku
 

Botim

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His numbers for Inter isn't any different from his numbers at ManUtd, only difference is he took penalties.
The first season he came close, but his second season at United, his numbers were much worse than his last season for Inter:

12 goals in 32 apps vs 24 (6 pen) goals in 36 apps
He also added 11 assists, so he had a goal/assist per game
 

Botim

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For what it's worth look at the goals scored below. Take out his penalties against Italy and England, when was the last time he scored a goal against a half international decent team?
Depends on your definition. He just yesterday scored (and assisted) vs Czech Republic, who knocked out the Netherlands in the EC. No top team, but surely a half decent one and exactly the sort of game which we wouldn't have won 15 years ago.
 

roonster09

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The first season he came close, but his second season at United, his numbers were much worse than his last season for Inter:

12 goals in 32 apps vs 24 (6 pen) goals in 36 apps
He also added 11 assists, so he had a goal/assist per game
Lukaku looks better balanced at Inter than at ManUtd, his hold up play looked improved too. Also playing alongside striker will help CF with their hold up play as Lukaku and Lautaro played close to each other. So Conte knew how to make good use of him.

When it comes to goal scoring record, his record is not much better than it was for ManUtd. Only difference is, he takes penalties now. For us he took one penalty and missed it, he was never given penalties after that. For Inter he took all the penalties.

Comparing his Inter and ManUtd record, there isn't much when it comes to goals from open play.

167 mins per goal for Inter, 178 mins per goal for ManUtd.
122 mins per G+A for Inter, 142 mins per G+A for ManUtd.

InterMinsGoalsAssistsNon Penalty GoalsMins per NP GoalMins per NPG+A
2020-212887241118160.3999.55
2019-20298423217175.53157.05
Total5871471335167.74122.31
ManUtd
2018-19213012012177.50177.50
2017-18286916716179.31124.74
Total499928728178.54142.83


His overall game looked better though, at least compared to the shit show of 2018-19 season. He looked better balanced player.
Overall its around same.
 

WeePat

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Ah, the guy who was clearly 45 but claimed to be 27.
Yeah that guy. Superb striker. He scored 20 league goals in 2 of the 3 seasons he was at Chelsea - 52 goals in 89 league games across the 3 seasons.
 

WeePat

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Depends on your definition. He just yesterday scored (and assisted) vs Czech Republic, who knocked out the Netherlands in the EC. No top team, but surely a half decent one and exactly the sort of game which we wouldn't have won 15 years ago.
He didn't score, but he was also one of the biggest reasons that Belgium beat Denmark at the euros.
 

Botim

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Overall its around same.
Not for the second season though. 100 min per G/A versus 177 min per G/A is a huge difference.

Anyway, as you say yourself, his overall play (and attitude) was much better as well.
 

roonster09

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Not for the second season though. 100 min per G/A versus 177 min per G/A is a huge difference.

Anyway, as you say yourself, his overall play (and attitude) was much better as well.
Yes, because in his second season he was shit. Overall there isn't big difference in the scoring, only difference was he was given penalties at Inter.
 

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The real question is how many pages long this thread will be by the end of the season :lol: !
 

Ramos

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For what it's worth look at the goals scored below. Take out his penalties against Italy and England, when was the last time he scored a goal against a half international decent team?

What impact has he made in the later stages of a tournament?

It's fair to say he still has to score against what's ahead of him. But there's a fair few average players with good records like Podolski and Crouch who have done similar stat padding.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_goals_scored_by_Romelu_Lukaku
But Podolski and Crouch have almost the same number of international goals TOGETHER as Lukaku (71 vs 67) despite having played 172 games between the two of them versus Lukaku's 100.

You really can't "stat pad" your way to 67 goals in 100 games. I don't think you fully realize how many that is.

 

Eugenius

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But Podolski and Crouch have almost the same number of international goals TOGETHER as Lukaku (71 vs 67) despite having played 172 games between the two of them versus Lukaku's 100.

You really can't "stat pad" your way to 67 goals in 100 games. I don't think you fully realize how many that is.

It's not really apples to oranges though, given Crouch and Podolski were not really #9 focal points and guaranteed starters. Podolski as well was on something like 40 in 80 games, then fizzled out. No one remembers him as an elite striker, or someone like Klose who scored a lot of goals at international level.

Quite frankly the definition of stat padding is that the guy has a phenomenal record by any numbers comparison, yet no one can tell me the last goal he scored from open play against a top 10 team and he's played in several international tournaments and hasn't done anything in the business end.

You can watch Ronaldo and Messi regularly drag their teams almost single handedly through tournaments. Bale in his pomp was similar, R9, Rooney in 2004, Mbappe in 2018 etc. Lukaku isn't doing that.
 

Bleu

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It's not really apples to oranges though, given Crouch and Podolski were not really #9 focal points and guaranteed starters. Podolski as well was on something like 40 in 80 games, then fizzled out. No one remembers him as an elite striker, or someone like Klose who scored a lot of goals at international level.

Quite frankly the definition of stat padding is that the guy has a phenomenal record by any numbers comparison, yet no one can tell me the last goal he scored from open play against a top 10 team and he's played in several international tournaments and hasn't done anything in the business end.

You can watch Ronaldo and Messi regularly drag their teams almost single handedly through tournaments. Bale in his pomp was similar, R9, Rooney in 2004, Mbappe in 2018 etc. Lukaku isn't doing that.
Mate, Lukaku is Belgiums most important player and he is in a team with the likes of De Bruyne and Hazard. Why are you comparing Messi and Ronaldo to Lukaku if youre moaning about not comparing apples and oranges?
 

Botim

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It's not really apples to oranges though, given Crouch and Podolski were not really #9 focal points and guaranteed starters. Podolski as well was on something like 40 in 80 games, then fizzled out. No one remembers him as an elite striker, or someone like Klose who scored a lot of goals at international level.

You can watch Ronaldo and Messi regularly drag their teams almost single handedly through tournaments. Bale in his pomp was similar, R9, Rooney in 2004, Mbappe in 2018 etc. Lukaku isn't doing that.
You can't complain about apples and oranges and then make a similar comparison... Messi, Ronaldo, Bale aren't typical n° 9's either. Also, to claim Mbappé single handedly dragged France through the tournament is extremely far fetched.

Quite frankly the definition of stat padding is that the guy has a phenomenal record by any numbers comparison, yet no one can tell me the last goal he scored from open play against a top 10 team and he's played in several international tournaments and hasn't done anything in the business end.
This is just you not following other leagues surely. He was the main reason Inter won the league, second highest scorer in Serie A, played a big part in Belgium's 3rd place finish at the WC, top scorer in the Europa League, etc

Nobody's claiming he's Ronaldo, but comparing him to Peter Crouch is pretty ridiculous I would say.
 

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This is just you not following other leagues surely. He was the main reason Inter won the league, second highest scorer in Serie A, played a big part in Belgium's 3rd place finish at the WC, top scorer in the Europa League, etc

Nobody's claiming he's Ronaldo, but comparing him to Peter Crouch is pretty ridiculous I would say.
Eh? :houllier:

Not going to get into his time at Inter but how exactly did he play a big part in Belgium's 3rd place finish? He didn't score a single goal in the knockouts, with all goals coming against Panama and Tunisia in the group stages. Or do you mean he played a big part in why they only finished 3rd?

Europa League is his level so that's about right.
 

Eugenius

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You can't complain about apples and oranges and then make a similar comparison... Messi, Ronaldo, Bale aren't typical n° 9's either. Also, to claim Mbappé single handedly dragged France through the tournament is extremely far fetched.



This is just you not following other leagues surely. He was the main reason Inter won the league, second highest scorer in Serie A, played a big part in Belgium's 3rd place finish at the WC, top scorer in the Europa League, etc

Nobody's claiming he's Ronaldo, but comparing him to Peter Crouch is pretty ridiculous I would say.
The apples and oranges is just re goals comparison with Crouch and Podolski - ie Crouch was an impact sub when everyone was fit, and Podolski played off the wing. But the main point is that players can have good international goal scoring records without being great players, or even really distinguished players for their country. That's why quality of opposition, match importance and contribution to results is more important than x goals in y games.

He played a big part in the third placed world Cup = he scored against Tunisia and Panama in the group stages. Didn't De Bruyne also call him out for hiding in that same tournament? Fair enough with Inter, but let's be honest and say Serie A isn't a top league anymore (ie look at how the Italian teams did in Europe). Europa league is precisely the level of competition that Lukaku thrives against too.

He's undeniably a good striker, but he hasn't turned top class overnight like the Chelsea fans here want to believe and him racking up 60 goals against what are largely average teams at international level doesn't change that.
 

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You can watch Ronaldo and Messi regularly drag their teams almost single handedly through tournaments. Bale in his pomp was similar, R9, Rooney in 2004, Mbappe in 2018 etc. Lukaku isn't doing that.
Come on, I'm not the biggest Rom fan but that is an absolutely ridicolous bar to measure him on.
 

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That’s weird cause if all those players are at their peak I wouldn’t pick Lukaku to lead the line over any of those players.
Of course not, he flopped and didnt want to be here from the very beginning. I would take Lukaku again if he wanted to be here.
 
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But Podolski and Crouch have almost the same number of international goals TOGETHER as Lukaku (71 vs 67) despite having played 172 games between the two of them versus Lukaku's 100.

You really can't "stat pad" your way to 67 goals in 100 games. I don't think you fully realize how many that is.

Feck me. Look at how much Ronaldo kicked on?

37 in 100 followed by 74 in 80!
 

TheMagicFoolBus

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For what it's worth look at the goals scored below. Take out his penalties against Italy and England, when was the last time he scored a goal against a half international decent team?

What impact has he made in the later stages of a tournament?

It's fair to say he still has to score against what's ahead of him. But there's a fair few average players with good records like Podolski and Crouch who have done similar stat padding.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_goals_scored_by_Romelu_Lukaku
I think it's fair to say that Switzerland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Wales, Croatia, and Italy are at the very least decent.

I also think it's probably fair to say that Lukaku's brute force approach (for want of a better term) can be questioned against the very top tier opposition in big situations (e.g. in knockout stages and in matches against other top sides). I don't think Lukaku is a particularly good problem solver in tight areas, but what I do think is that he's a very very useful tool when put in the right situations for a problem solver like Tuchel, if that makes sense. This isn't a slight against Lukaku's intelligence or anything, just don't think he has the improvisational ability in tight areas.
 

roonster09

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Well Ronaldo is out scoring him at 36, so he's not wrong.
He praised Ronaldo, saying he shouldn't be compared with Ronaldo as Ronaldo is top 3 players to play the game.
 
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UnitedWA

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His big mouth and I can't say hate, but resentment towards United is really making me angry. I am leaning to say I'd like him to fail miserably in Chelsea...