Not many are arguing otherwise. It’s praising him for outmuscling an outmatched Matip which is the issue.
Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea
- Thread starter RDCR07
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His struggle to control the ball meaningfully is so damn real. Feed him the balls in the box and he will be good which is not happening in this match.
Wonder if Lukaku is already contemplating leaving Chelsea, the gormless fecker.
What did people expect? 2 years in Italy would evolve his game after he had already been a pro for nearly 10 years? Most players don't improve technically at this stage, more about understanding of the game, awareness of you own strengths and weaknesses and mental resilience.
Always going to score goals but there will remain a discussion over his all round game.l
Always going to score goals but there will remain a discussion over his all round game.l
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looks like a slightly thinner version of the one that played at united. who knew?
Flashback Heskey.
So glad that he is not playing for us anymore. The definition of frustrating.
he looks similar to 2018 lukaku, but i'm not sure it's just "tougher league". both now and at united he was the lone striker, in a 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1. lots of work to be done back-to-goal.
at inter, it was a 4-4-2, feeding off and passing to lautaro, both running the channels or in behind. seemed to suit him much more. i remember ~15 years ago before 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 became standard, that it was widely acknowledged that some strikers needed partners, i think he's one of them. much more owen than drogba. (not that he's at that level).
at inter, it was a 4-4-2, feeding off and passing to lautaro, both running the channels or in behind. seemed to suit him much more. i remember ~15 years ago before 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 became standard, that it was widely acknowledged that some strikers needed partners, i think he's one of them. much more owen than drogba. (not that he's at that level).
Still a cart horse
Obviously he's a much better player than he was in his final season here, because that was the low point of his career with the weight problems making him particularly poor. He was better in the years before that too. And he's at his peak now, so you'd expect him to be better than he was when he was younger anyway, getting better at the things he's good at. But he hasn't suddenly become a different player, nor are his technical faults going to have magically improved.
Chelsea probably don't need him to be anything other than what he is for him to fire them to a league title though.
Chelsea probably don't need him to be anything other than what he is for him to fire them to a league title though.
Can’t hold the ball up for shit. fecking useless when the odds aren’t in his favour
Pretty clear why he lost his place to Martial. His hold up.play is non existent. Can be a fecking liability.
MOTM
Jesus his ball playing is still horrendous, the only aspect of his game i can confidently say has improved is him playing with his back to goal
His annoying pointing and grunting whenever he fluffes a goalscoring opportunity is still there and so is his damned first touch and perhaps the most annoying of all him triping over the ball itself
Its also interesting to point out that conte seemed to be utilizing him much better and playing to his strengths (back to goal and centrally and providing him service through flanks with hakimi contributing a lot and Martinez complimenting his encumbered playstyle),whereas touchel seems to be playing him a lot more on the flanks where he really doesn't excel and no striker to complement him(could Werner do the job)
And all of this bega the question ,was this a touchel signing? If not then why splash so much on a player who might not even suit the team for the long term why not sign a player like that valhavich fella from Florent for a much lesser fee who is much more versatile?
Overall o have no doubt that he will score loads of goals for them i just can't see how he helps them to win the games that gives them the momentum for a title challenge or a ucl defense
His annoying pointing and grunting whenever he fluffes a goalscoring opportunity is still there and so is his damned first touch and perhaps the most annoying of all him triping over the ball itself
Its also interesting to point out that conte seemed to be utilizing him much better and playing to his strengths (back to goal and centrally and providing him service through flanks with hakimi contributing a lot and Martinez complimenting his encumbered playstyle),whereas touchel seems to be playing him a lot more on the flanks where he really doesn't excel and no striker to complement him(could Werner do the job)
And all of this bega the question ,was this a touchel signing? If not then why splash so much on a player who might not even suit the team for the long term why not sign a player like that valhavich fella from Florent for a much lesser fee who is much more versatile?
Overall o have no doubt that he will score loads of goals for them i just can't see how he helps them to win the games that gives them the momentum for a title challenge or a ucl defense
How can you be as big as Lukaku and not be able to hold up the ball? Mark Hughes was a midget compared to him, and played in an era where it was more physical.
You'd think he make up for that lack of physicality with a bit of technique and grace but he hasn't got that either.
You'd think he make up for that lack of physicality with a bit of technique and grace but he hasn't got that either.
He's like an empty wardrobe.
Matip bullying Lukaku.
True. Whatever views most of us have of Lukaku is from his last season with us which was bad
He's literally exactly how he was at United.
Thought he was abysmal today.
Thought he was abysmal today.
Lukaku to me is the prime argument for individual goal-scoring totals being one of the most overrated aspects of Football.
MISS HIM YET OLD TRAFFORD?
Spent most of the second half strolling around half assed while the rest of his teammates were working their socks off. Nice way to endear himself to everyone 
Will score a shit ton of goals for that team, but still a donkey.
I can dribble when no one closes me down
He’s basically Heskey but one who can finish. I hope Chelsea kept the receipt.
Yep pretty much. Amazing he's a £100m pound player.Spent most of the second half strolling around half assed while the rest of his teammates were working their socks off. Nice way to endear himself to everyone
Improved in Italy, they said
Student of the game
He has much ball control as my ex. Non-existent.
Student of the game
He has much ball control as my ex. Non-existent.
I’ve never understood the hype over him. Will probably play a blinder against us, typically, but he’s not an elite level striker. He drove me up the wall playing for us, his style is so slow and ugly, when he left it was as if a weight was lifted from the team - literally.
Flop.
He and Matip had the worst battle in football history today.
He wasn't awful today, had some good moments but also some very bad ones. He didn't look like a different player to the one he was with us, really.
This thread was always going one way but he had no support the entire second half. Laughable moments for sure but I think he got a shot on target too?
May not show up in the stats, but, over 90 mins as a lone striker in a tough game, he's a massive drain on the team. So many lost chances, he doesn't anticipate the pass, he gets bullied, he has an awful touch, or he somehow traps it but then stumbles. Tough to build anything when your single striker is so unreliable.
If his few good moments come off and result in something, it can work, otherwise it's an invitation for the other team to dominate.
If his few good moments come off and result in something, it can work, otherwise it's an invitation for the other team to dominate.
same old same old
Pretty average but in his defense there were prob 2 times he would've been thru in on goal but his teammates refused to pass
once a farmer always a farmer, no matter what you wear..
If he had hold up game like Cavani then chelsea players would be sending balls to him all the time. Unfortunately you can't rely on him in tight space. No point in wasting the pass when you are a man down.
Agree. I think Chelsea players are not used to having a target man. They are still in Werner mode I guess.
He had a tough assignment after the sending off….which meant, true to nature, he shrank like feck and wandered around looking a bit pathetic