Romelu Lukaku vs Alvaro Morata 2017/18

Vanrouge

Full Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Messages
1,982
Location
Early '80s Stretty
Being honest, I do think United have backed the wrong horse here, but obviously I hope I'm wrong. I don't generally moan about transfer stuff, either.
 

iammemphis

iwillnotaskforanamechangeagain
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
6,011
Location
Hertfordshire
Chelsea being in champions league again will affect how well they perform in the league. I think Lukaku will hit the ground running and Morata will be inconsistent.

Therefore i guess Lukaku to score 27 league goals and Morata to score 18.
 

Varun

Moderator
Staff
Joined
Mar 16, 2011
Messages
46,780
Location
Mumbai
I prefer the striker Chelsea have got, sadly.

And I have the feeling the majority of the caf preferred Morata when we were linked with him with a shift having happened now.
Morata is the better overall player in my book but Lukaku is better suited to Mourinho's side. I'd pick Lukaku for us but Morata if I was building a side from scratch.
 

vodrake

Full Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
3,509
I prefer the striker Chelsea have got, sadly.

And I have the feeling the majority of the caf preferred Morata when we were linked with him with a shift having happened now.
I seem to remember not that many wanted Morata when we were first linked, lots of complaints about the insane price for Madrid's backup striker and listing his scoring record at Juve. It was just over the month we were "getting closer and closer" to signing him that more and more people came round to the idea.

And now that he's moving to another PL team, the "grass is always greener" guys are jumping on the Morata train as well.
 

theralyst

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jun 4, 2013
Messages
526
Hopefully this isn't one of those threads like 'Di Maria vs Sanchez', but I have that feeling it will be.
 

Moonred

Full Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
10,324
Location
Virgo Supercluster
I wanted Morata but had apprehensions about certain things but overall hopeful it can work for us. Same with Lukaku. It isn't clear cut at all. It's annoying that he is going to Chelsea though. The fact that this also somewhat opens the door for Mbappe to move is a bummer as well. (However little chance we ever had to land him in the future)
 

sullydnl

Ross Kemp's caf ID
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
34,063
I think Morata will prove to be the better signing in the long term but in terms of this season I'd back Lukaku to outscore him. Given our goalscoring struggles last year, I'm happy with that trade off.
 

CM

Full Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
7,398
Morata is a better footballer but Lukaku will probably end up scoring more goals.
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Morata won't be at Chelsea in two years. This gives them breathing room since there aren't many on the market this summer.
 

Pink Moon

Full Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
8,283
Location
Glasgow
Supports
Celtic
I think Morata is better but Lukaku will score more goals. Not much between them though. I just think Morata is probably a wee bit better with the ball which I personally prefer. Both are quality.
 

devilish

Juventus fan who used to support United
Joined
Sep 5, 2002
Messages
61,714
Chelsea have better players then we do so this comparision is a bit unfair
 

TheMagicFoolBus

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Messages
6,600
Location
Lisboa, Portugal
Supports
Chelsea
Not sure how much credence people give Ted Knutson and his radars, but this is what they look like for their 2016/17 seasons. Obviously massive caveats have to apply given the respective quality of the teams around them, but the stark difference in passing ability stands out as something Lukaku needs to improve on hugely if you ask me. I'd still probably argue that Lukaku has the higher ceiling just due to how physically dominant he can be, but technically Morata is comfortably the better player at the moment.


 

RedCurry

Full Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2016
Messages
4,687
"Morata is a better footballer but..."

Repeat something enough and it may become true.
 

roonster09

Hercule Poirot of the scouting world
Scout
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
36,763
Not sure how much credence people give Ted Knutson and his radars, but this is what they look like for their 2016/17 seasons. Obviously massive caveats have to apply given the respective quality of the teams around them, but the stark difference in passing ability stands out as something Lukaku needs to improve on hugely if you ask me. I'd still probably argue that Lukaku has the higher ceiling just due to how physically dominant he can be, but technically Morata is comfortably the better player at the moment.


IIRC pass completion also includes headers, so obviously it would be on the lower side for Lukaku. For example Lukaku 136 headers vs 23 for Morata, so no one knows whether the header won was completed pass or misplaced pass.

Lukaku create more chances and completes more dribbles per game, also wins more aerial duels.
 

TheMagicFoolBus

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Messages
6,600
Location
Lisboa, Portugal
Supports
Chelsea
IIRC pass completion also includes headers, so obviously it would be on the lower side for Lukaku. For example Lukaku 136 headers vs 23 for Morata, so no one knows whether the header won was completed pass or misplaced pass.

Lukaku create more chances and completes more dribbles per game, also wins more aerial duels.
I could have sworn they separate them out into aerial duels but perhaps I'm wrong; if so that would go some way towards explaining the discrepancy.

There are definitely advantages for Lukaku as well; there's absolutely not a clear cut winner or loser here. They're very different stylistically, and much will be down to the respective managers to get the most out of them.
 

roonster09

Hercule Poirot of the scouting world
Scout
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
36,763
I could have sworn they separate them out into aerial duels but perhaps I'm wrong; if so that would go some way towards explaining the discrepancy.

There are definitely advantages for Lukaku as well; there's absolutely not a clear cut winner or loser here. They're very different stylistically, and much will be down to the respective managers to get the most out of them.
They include headed passes, flick ons, lay offs.

http://optasports.com/news-area/blog-optas-event-definitions.aspx

http://www.squawka.com/football-stats-definitions
 

Zoo

Full Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
29,824
With the way this all panned out I guess some United and Chelsea fans will be backtracking on their opinions.

In June a Chelsea fan took the trouble to make this:
 

TheMagicFoolBus

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Messages
6,600
Location
Lisboa, Portugal
Supports
Chelsea

Lennon7

nipple flasher and door destroyer
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
10,476
Location
M5
Morata costing £5m less is nothing. We'll see who's better, I think Lukaku will score more for us but Morata will contribute more to that Chelsea side.
 

Inter Yer Nan

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2016
Messages
6,380
Location
Los Angeles, CA (from UK)
Morata has always looked a better player, where as Lukaku has proven to have been a better goal scorer so far BUT Morata will finally get a chance to prove himself as the main man. Lukaku is prem proven, Morata still has to prove he can adapt which I think he will but think we signed more of the "sure thing", but they perhaps got a player with a higher ceiling and better overall contribution.

My predictions are that Lukaku will be second in the golden boot again (again behind Kane) with 26 league goals and he will get around 35 in all competitions which will be a great return. Morata I think will be around 20 league goals and around 28 in all competitions. Both teams will be happy with both guys and we won't rue missing out on Morata and they won't rue missing out on Lukaku.
 

roonster09

Hercule Poirot of the scouting world
Scout
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
36,763
Gotcha, thanks for the info! Wonder what the numbers would look like only including passes played with feet; that would be much more informative. Seems Lukaku is probably being penalized for contesting headers...
Yeah, that's very hard to get. Not sure where either.
 

MadMike

Full Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
11,619
Location
London
Is this the new Herrera vs Kante thread? I'm camping here once the season starts :lol:
 

LoneStar

Full Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2017
Messages
3,558
Redcafe seems to hype Morata too much. I follow r/soccer on Reddit and most people think Lukaku is the clear better choice. One is a proven PL striker, who has scored loads for an average team. The other guy plays for Real Madrid with the likes of Ronaldo,Kroos, James ,Isco supplying him. The fact that even Chelsea wanted Lukaku speaks volumes. I think Morata is a good player, who is technically better than Lukaku. Just can't see him score as many goals or have as much impact in general as Lukaku. He'll need time to adjust to the PL too. Both are good young strikers who are yet to enter their prime, but if given a choice, there'd be a clear winner for me.Morata is not worth £70m, simple as that. Although he would definitely suit Chelsea and Conte more, just like Lukaku fits Jose and United more.
 

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
134,063
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
Not sure how much credence people give Ted Knutson and his radars, but this is what they look like for their 2016/17 seasons. Obviously massive caveats have to apply given the respective quality of the teams around them, but the stark difference in passing ability stands out as something Lukaku needs to improve on hugely if you ask me. I'd still probably argue that Lukaku has the higher ceiling just due to how physically dominant he can be, but technically Morata is comfortably the better player at the moment.


I'm sure those graphics are massively influenced by the team strikers play for. In a team as dominant as Real all their attacking players will have incredible stats because they're so much more involved than players at lesser teams.
 

Red_toad

Full Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2010
Messages
11,616
Location
DownUnder
Is it just me who finds the whole something v something threads very unnecessary and childish?
 

soapythecat

Full Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
3,805
Location
Glasgow resident these days.
Morata will prove to be by far the better signing. As soon as we signed Lukaka for the pathetic price we paid, we pretty much signed Morata for Chelsea.
I'd go as far as saying I'll start a poll around January time to see who has the better player and, barring any major injuries, I'd say Morata will win the poll.
 

podurban2

Full Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Messages
5,842
I'm sure those graphics are massively influenced by the team strikers play for. In a team as dominant as Real all their attacking players will have incredible stats because they're so much more involved than players at lesser teams.
As well as standard of the league.
 

Raw

Full Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2013
Messages
25,433
Location
Manchester, UK
Is it just me who finds the whole something v something threads very unnecessary and childish?
Plus they rarely end well! Such gems include Welbeck v Sturridge, Januzaj v Sterling and Depay v Firmino (bit of a theme there :nervous:).
 

Redplane

( . Y . ) planned for Christmas
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
10,382
Location
The Royal Kingdom of Trumpistan
For someone who truly knows very little about Morata- does Morata have either the physicality to make it in the PL or otherwise the speed to make up for a lack thereof? I keep hearing about his technical abilities supposedly being well ahead of Lukaku but RvP was arguably one of the most technically gifted strikers we have ever seen but clearly benefited from an increase in sheer strength in getting himself to that higher level. (the brawn he always had it seems)
 

Revan

Assumptionman
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
49,656
Location
London
Lukaku will score more, but Morata will be regarded as the better striker, because of his superior all round game.
 

TheMagicFoolBus

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Messages
6,600
Location
Lisboa, Portugal
Supports
Chelsea
I'm sure those graphics are massively influenced by the team strikers play for. In a team as dominant as Real all their attacking players will have incredible stats because they're so much more involved than players at lesser teams.
Yeah absolutely. As @roonster09 also pointed out, Lukaku also goes for more headed passes as well, which is a higher degree of difficulty that will depress his stats and further complicate the comparison. I'd probably totally discount the touches in the box stat, since teams would sit so deep vs Madrid as opposed to Everton, for instance.

Sorry if I came across as a WUM or anything, just thought it was an interesting comparison. I wouldn't have thought that Lukaku completed more dribbles between the two, for instance. Shows how well he can leverage his body-if he gets his shoulder past any CB he's just about impossible to stop without fouling.
 

TheMagicFoolBus

Full Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2016
Messages
6,600
Location
Lisboa, Portugal
Supports
Chelsea
For someone who truly knows very little about Morata- does Morata have either the physicality to make it in the PL or otherwise the speed to make up for a lack thereof? I keep hearing about his technical abilities supposedly being well ahead of Lukaku but RvP was arguably one of the most technically gifted strikers we have ever seen but clearly benefited from an increase in sheer strength in getting himself to that higher level. (the brawn he always had it seems)
Yeah Morata is 6'2" and quite rapid.