Romelu Lukaku | Roma/Chelsea watch

Resembled a player who's lacked that real sharpness needed. I think overall some of the misses are bad but some are ones where the Croatian team failed to defend I'm specific instances where the defender is in a favoured position and it requires Lukaku being reactionary as opposed to anticipating the opportunities.
 
I do feel bad for him, and I don’t have any love for the guy. He got fetched on there to save the day for Belgium after they played dreadfully the first two matches. He’s played hardly any minutes all season, probably shouldn’t even have been there, and shouldn’t have been relied upon to make the difference here.

I mean, he was shit, but I still feel a bit bad for how much he is going to get rinsed for this.
 
Dictionary definition of a flat track bully.
 
Yup. That's why there's a measured criticism of Lukaku on here and on social media compared to that of other players who played shit for 2/3 games (just checked the De Bruyne thread).

Yup, no scapegoating here. Carry on.

Choo choo!!
You are humour, are you his brother, taking it awful personal. Just admit he missed crucial moments in a must win game, ultimately the team failed yes but you can't ignore these key moments. This is a perfect example, you're right of social media and online opinions . You have to be 100 percent with him or against, that's what you are doing. Where is the measured middle. I said he's not the scapegoat but you must admit you can't miss them chances.
 
When you think of the absolute shit Andy Cole used to get for essentially not being Alan Shearer, yet still delivering in multiple huge games and moments, it’s incredible how Lukaku still gets pundits making excuses for him despite a decade of famously going missing in big games, having a really poor record against the top 6 (at every club) and fluffing high profile chances whilst still getting treated like an Elite striker every time he moves clubs or comes into a new tournament.
I don't get it either, there's certain players that have this sort of hype around them, and will just carry that their entire career, notwithstanding their actual performances.

When he moved back to Chelsea, I remember tons of pundits were arguing he'd be the missing piece in the puzzle for Tuchel to push for the title, that he'd be the one to drive the team forward - and when that obviously didn't materialize, loads of excuses were made for him. It's very strange.
 
 
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When you think of the absolute shit Andy Cole used to get for essentially not being Alan Shearer, yet still delivering in multiple huge games and moments, it’s incredible how Lukaku still gets pundits making excuses for him despite a decade of famously going missing in big games, having a really poor record against the top 6 (at every club) and fluffing high profile chances whilst still getting treated like an Elite striker every time he moves clubs or comes into a new tournament.

The anti Andy Cole propaganda still gets me to this day. Glenn Hoddle invented that s-t that Andy needed too many chances to score, solely to explain away his favouritism. Ended up sticking with him for the rest of his career. Never had time for Hoddle after that.

On Lukaku, he genuinely baffles me. At times he is unplayable. At other times...You can't even say it's about pressure. Cos he's come up clutch at key moments e.g., during Inter's last title run. Yet I wasn't really surprised he couldn't hit a barn door today. It's like if he gets momentum he's hard to stop. However, if you can stop him from picking up a head of steam that's that. Really weird striker.
 
The anti Andy Cole propaganda still gets me to this day. Glenn Hoddle invented that s-t that Andy needed too many chances to score, solely to explain away his favouritism. Ended up sticking with him for the rest of his career. Never had time for Hoddle after that.

On Lukaku, he genuinely baffles me. At times he is unplayable. At other times...You can't even say it's about pressure. Cos he's come up clutch at key moments e.g., during Inter's last title run. Yet I wasn't really surprised he couldn't hit a barn door today. It's like if he gets momentum he's hard to stop. However, if you can stop him from picking up a head of steam that's that. Really weird striker.
Aye, Cole was the victim of favouritism towards Shearer, the golden boy, who started for literally years when not scoring even when Cole was ripping up trees and later, winning the treble with goals galore.

Lukaku however is a pile of excrement
 
I do feel bad for him, and I don’t have any love for the guy. He got fetched on there to save the day for Belgium after they played dreadfully the first two matches. He’s played hardly any minutes all season, probably shouldn’t even have been there, and shouldn’t have been relied upon to make the difference here.

I mean, he was shit, but I still feel a bit bad for how much he is going to get rinsed for this.
His reactions after the game were sad. Extreme anger and then crying with his head in his hands. He must know that people criticise him for choking when it matters, and he's just done it again in a must win game. I don't even like him but it was quite tragic
 
This time I do genuinely feel sorry for the poor lump.
 
When you think of the absolute shit Andy Cole used to get for essentially not being Alan Shearer, yet still delivering in multiple huge games and moments, it’s incredible how Lukaku still gets pundits making excuses for him despite a decade of famously going missing in big games, having a really poor record against the top 6 (at every club) and fluffing high profile chances whilst still getting treated like an Elite striker every time he moves clubs or comes into a new tournament.
Cole got stick because he absolutely shat his pants when we needed him to score on the final day of 1994-95.
 
I made a song commemorating Lukaku and Belgium's exit.

"Ten green bottles sitting on the wall, ten green bottles sitting on the wall, and if Lukaku struck a ball trying to make one fall, there'll be ten green bottles sitting on the wall"

Don’t give up the day job!
 
He's in big trouble legacy wise
Not much of a legacy. One major honour, a Serie A title, which he was integral to, in fairness.

Top scorer for his country but won nothing with the "golden generation" and those misses today will go down in history.

His whinging and inability to settle at a club will be remembered more than his footballing talent and achievements.
 
fecking hell. In a must win world cup game. He will live in infamy for that one.
At first I didn’t see the highlights and was going to ask how he did, and dear lord. There’s another comment here saying something about xg? i thought it said he created more xg than Morocco but maybe he had more then them the whole cup?
The anti Andy Cole propaganda still gets me to this day. Glenn Hoddle invented that s-t that Andy needed too many chances to score, solely to explain away his favouritism. Ended up sticking with him for the rest of his career. Never had time for Hoddle after that.

On Lukaku, he genuinely baffles me. At times he is unplayable. At other times...You can't even say it's about pressure. Cos he's come up clutch at key moments e.g., during Inter's last title run. Yet I wasn't really surprised he couldn't hit a barn door today. It's like if he gets momentum he's hard to stop. However, if you can stop him from picking up a head of steam that's that. Really weird striker.
To me I’ve noticed it’s fitness for him, or more so stamina. It’s much harder for him to hit it and even though he came on at the end he looks absolutely tired. He is more muscular than most and really people and by now he has to know the importance of him being more flexible/lighter/fit.
His reactions after the game were sad. Extreme anger and then crying with his head in his hands. He must know that people criticise him for choking when it matters, and he's just done it again in a must win game. I don't even like him but it was quite tragic
That’s terrible, he definitely blames himself. I always liked him here, thought on the RW too he was dangerous although him and martial in the middle to me should have been too much to handle.
I do feel for him this time.
Same here.
 
TBF, it's not his day, and it could be a big lesson for him in the future. Maybe even his turning point in his career( could be both ways, especially in terms of confidence). He missed some easy chances that must be converted to a goal/2 goals or even a winning goal in this game. I don't know if he motivates himself to be a better player from these complicated scenarios or if this could be his turning point in another way. I'm not his fan due to some of his behaviors, but I would say I encourage him and I hope this will not affect to be his turning point in an inappropriate way.
 
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Fantastic servant for Belgium, and hardly anyone in my country will put this on him. He was not even close to being match fit.
 
Feeling sorry for him. He is not fit mentally and physically at the moment and shouldnt even be in the WC. I hope this match doesnt affect him too much as he will be blamed for those misses, although he played only 54 of 270 mins of WC, whereas others who played those mins didnt do enough to qualify.
 
I've enjoyed (?) my share of posts criticizing Lukaku over the years, but this one's hard to pin on him, as atrocious as the misses seem to be.

The manager panicked after all his shortcomings and poor decisions put Belgium on the brink of elimination, and threw a thoroughly unfit and unprepared Lukaku on to take the fall in an extremely high pressure game for the country. Belgium should not have gone into that half needing a goal for survival, and Lukaku should not have been the man brought on to fight for that survival.

Martinez has wasted the Belgian Golden Generation. He should have kept star players like KDB motivated and given them belief, he should made the tough calls to keep the squad balanced, together, driven and ready to compete at the top. He failed on multiple levels - Lukaku should not be the one to take the blame for all that.
 
That final miss, around the 90th minute, like holy shit. You can hear the Belgium fans begin to celebrate…
 
So he got shit for 1 game :wenger:

You just emphasised the posters point.

Exactly.

Andy Cole scored on the final day in 1996 to make it 2-0 and effectively clinch the title, he also scored the winner in 99 on the final day to win the League.

Scored crucial goals vs Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus and Leeds who were big title rivals at the time, I think he has more goals at Anfield than any other opposition player in PL history.

Even scored the winner for Blackburn in the League Cup final against Hoddles Spurs in 2002 to really make him eat his words. It's mad the disrespect Cole gets, his stats and medal collection rival anyone.
 
You are humour, are you his brother, taking it awful personal. Just admit he missed crucial moments in a must win game, ultimately the team failed yes but you can't ignore these key moments. This is a perfect example, you're right of social media and online opinions . You have to be 100 percent with him or against, that's what you are doing. Where is the measured middle. I said he's not the scapegoat but you must admit you can't miss them chances.

I admit he missed crucial moments in a must win game.

I am also his long lost brother