Until Lukaku learns to hold the ball up consistently, Morata is the better striker. He's so much more versatile and competent technically. For such a big man, Lukaku just doesn't do enough to hold the ball up or win his fair share of areal balls consistently. I don't buy the not getting enough service argument when Lukaku cannot even do the basics when the ball does arrive to him.
Romelu Lukaku vs Alvaro Morata 2017/18
- Thread starter Paxi
- Start date
Lukaku held the ball up well yesterday.
Until we buy better midfielders we will continue to struggle when creating chances, We are the worst top team when it comes to attacking football,its all good and well punishing lesser teams, once we come against a team that knows how to play,we fold
Until we buy better midfielders we will continue to struggle when creating chances, We are the worst top team when it comes to attacking football,its all good and well punishing lesser teams, once we come against a team that knows how to play,we fold
I think Morata is easily the best header in the league.
He’s fantastic in the air
I read that Lukaku had zero touches of the ball in Chelsea's area yesterday. That's not all his fault.
Not being able to hold the ball up in the build up is an issue. True though its not all his fault.
Azpilicueta is proving to be quite the crosser too haha 5 assists for him now, and all onto Morata's head. That was a beautiful ball yesterday and a fantastic header, literally unstoppable.
He was great yesterday and showed why so many on here wanted him in the summer. Lukaku was a solid signing and I've no doubt he'll score many, many goals for us (very possibly more than Morata would have done), but I don't think there's much doubt about who the better footballer is, or the bigger 'big game player'.
To be fair and honest Morata is all around better footballer and will become more "complete" striker than Lukaku. That was my POV during summer and why I wanted him here while people were calling him Madrid sub and "Oh we shouldn't bring a Madrid cast off" just like the Matic nonsense but anyone with eyes will know Morata is a great striker.
However, we shouldn't bite our nails and regret not getting him. Lukaku is a very good striker with lots of strength to play on. He will never become a complete striker, but he has the tools to become an elite one. He needs to play on his strength and ignore his weakness, more than spending time improving his weakness that some of it will never improve IMO. He's not going to become great technical footballer, stop it, depend on your physicality, keep the ball under pressure with your body to bring your teammates forward, win most of the duels, bully defenders towards the goal. Do everything a striker with this size will do and he'll become an elite one.
Lukaku should focus on his strength points and use it to their fullness.
However, we shouldn't bite our nails and regret not getting him. Lukaku is a very good striker with lots of strength to play on. He will never become a complete striker, but he has the tools to become an elite one. He needs to play on his strength and ignore his weakness, more than spending time improving his weakness that some of it will never improve IMO. He's not going to become great technical footballer, stop it, depend on your physicality, keep the ball under pressure with your body to bring your teammates forward, win most of the duels, bully defenders towards the goal. Do everything a striker with this size will do and he'll become an elite one.
Lukaku should focus on his strength points and use it to their fullness.
Drogba would be proud of a header that.
I dunno how the defence just split like the Red Sea that way. Where was Smalling running to? I think Smalling joining the Bailly/Jones partnership did more harm than good.
Really? Based on that one game? Or over a larger sample of games? Because Morata's just been through his own barren spell, which also included an inability to score against a title rival from Manchester followed by blanks against the mighty Crystal Palace, Watford and Bournemouth.
Chelsea's other two "big games" this season were against Spurs and Arsenal. Morato also didn't score in either of those games.
that header was something else .. beautiful..
Think it highlighted how much we need someone who can cross a ball. It shows on here with the utter amazement that abounds when one of our players actually manages it.
Just look at his record in big games (CL, etc) for Juve and Madrid
Well Lukaku is going to struggle to match his record in CL games against top teams. Hard to score when you've never played any.
I was for Morata to come in here instead of Lukaku because I always tough that the Spaniard was better, and it's not only a game that proves me right, but what he actually brings to his side is way more than what Lukaku does for us.
Lukaku works a lot, and one of his main strenght is to keep the ball high on the pitch.
But what Lukaku does, Morata does, and has also more qualities. He seems quicker ball at feet, he s excellent with his head, but his movement yesterday torn Smalling.
I'm gutted, especially when you see that the connexion between Lukaku, Mkhi and Rashford is near 0
Lukaku works a lot, and one of his main strenght is to keep the ball high on the pitch.
But what Lukaku does, Morata does, and has also more qualities. He seems quicker ball at feet, he s excellent with his head, but his movement yesterday torn Smalling.
I'm gutted, especially when you see that the connexion between Lukaku, Mkhi and Rashford is near 0
I think if you asked most CB's individually which of the two they'd rather mark they'd say Morata just because Lukaku is such a physical handful. But Morata can hurt defenses in more ways and is a danger anywhere in the opposition half.
Lukaku also assisted a goal against Tottenham. Morata has a better service than Lukaku since, without Pogba, no wingers, missing AM yet Morata has the same amount of goal as Lukaku. If you put Lukaku in Chelsea, he'd score a lot of goals that Morata missed a sitter.
Well said.
Tough one. As soon as Jones steps out (something usually Luiz does for us), Bakayoko makes a smart run and Smalling has to track him (even though Baka probably would have put it in row Z). Bailly then has to cut across, leave his man, and cover Morata but he doesn't. That's what happens when you are overrun in midfield and then your defenders have to scramble.
Agree with this.
Both a very good players. Neither would get into the best teams in the world though.
It’s very obvious just watching them both play who the better player is. At Manchester United I want players who can actually control a ball, dribble effectively, and create something out of nothing when required. Lukaku has none of these attributes.
Yes he does. Although your mind is obviously made up and I can't be arsed changing it.
Hes already done that at United, you're being harsh. I think Morata is better technically but saying Lukaku doesn't offer that is not right.
I'm sure that Lukaku would have scored given the same chance though
The header off the post against Spurs was a much tougher chance. Obviously hitting the post not ideal but still...
The big difference we saw in this game was that Chelsea was playing to Morata's strengths while we were doing the exact opposite with Lukaku. It makes me so mad that we can't get two players close to him who will play a through ball to him, they don't even need to be great through balls, just play the ball in the channel where he can receive it and sprint towards the goal.
The writing was on the wall about the likely quality of our passing when Hererra fecking CANNONED the ball through Matic and into touch on the far side of the pitch, from about 10 yards away.
Lukaku did not look like a football player yesterday.. He needs better service for sure to score, but the basic things he could not do them yesterday
Yea it feels to me like, we've never practiced a single pass on the training pitch. Players just went out there to get 'stuck in' and when they have the ball they just seem completely lost. Not just the Herrera pass, but look back at every time we tried playing a one two, the players just never seem to be on the same page!
Even Andy Carrol would be immense, when supplied by good wingers.
Andy Carroll would be an absolute monster if he could run with the ball half as good as Lukaku. Or even if he had an ounce of pace of Lukaku he'd be playing at a better team.Even Andy Carrol would be immense, when supplied by good wingers.
During the summer I wanted Lukaku over Morata and didn't even see it as a particularly close decision. That said Morata has turned out to be a better player than I gave him credit for.
Maybe it's time to rest Lukaku and let rashford play a game or two. Might be what's needed to rejuvenate him.
The players behind him are the problem..Lukaku is not the problem.. if we had a Hazard type of player in our ranks .. who the other players are scared of.. maybe he would have more space to run to.. Hazard created that cross yesterday when he started drifting in midfield and we didnt have any midfielder tracking him, hence jones went after him leaving that gap..
The service Lukaku got yesterday was horrible so it's unfair to compare them based in yesterday. But still, Lukaku's all round game must improve. His touch, hold up play and work in the build can sometimes be dreadful.
But then Andy Carroll would be a better nuisance-battering type of striker that would suit our hoof-ball tactic.
Yes, at the moment our only tactic seems to be to hoof the ball against any half decent side regardless of how poor they've been so far this season.
If this is the way we were going to play, we should have just got Rondon instead of Lukaku.