Agree fully. We simply do not play to his strengths. He’d be a better fit at Chelsea. If Jose wants to persist with him then we need to change the way we play. Lumping the ball up to him and using him as a target man is generally not working.
Would you swap Lukaku for Morata now?
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Nah I know at one point I'd have preferred Morata, right at the start, but I'd rather have Lukaku out of the two quite comfortably.
Short memories. Lukaku got 27 last season and will come good again when we need him most after Christmas when we will be fighting with Spurs and Arsenal for top four.
Morata may have scored a couple recently but he is not good enough for Chelsea either and I doubt he will be there next season unless he has a great rest of the season.
This break is actually great man management as he is clearly putting too much pressure on himself. Lukaku is tried and tested in the PL. As soon as gets his next brace the whole Cafe will be singing his name again.
Morata may have scored a couple recently but he is not good enough for Chelsea either and I doubt he will be there next season unless he has a great rest of the season.
This break is actually great man management as he is clearly putting too much pressure on himself. Lukaku is tried and tested in the PL. As soon as gets his next brace the whole Cafe will be singing his name again.
I was happy when we got him because although he was rough around the edges he had all the tools to become a world class striker. However, I don't think we have the elite attacking coaches required for improving him. His hold up play remains largely the same as it was when he first joined. I don't think he's ever really played as a hold up target man, at Everton they seemed to use his pace and strength to run at defences (which is how we should use him on the right hand side).
His first touch is largely terrible, and he does seem to lumber around in the box when the ball is in play, he seems to have little striking instinct. Instead he seems to like to play up to the fans by clapping others, even when the ball is still in play. Which really irritates me, i've often witnessed him turn his back on the ball or fail to reach loose balls because he's simply not paying attention. He has the annoying habbit of making a spint, then pulling up short, causing his shoulders to slump forward, losing momentum and then in this state he's unable to move quickly enough to react to..anything around him.
His first touch is largely terrible, and he does seem to lumber around in the box when the ball is in play, he seems to have little striking instinct. Instead he seems to like to play up to the fans by clapping others, even when the ball is still in play. Which really irritates me, i've often witnessed him turn his back on the ball or fail to reach loose balls because he's simply not paying attention. He has the annoying habbit of making a spint, then pulling up short, causing his shoulders to slump forward, losing momentum and then in this state he's unable to move quickly enough to react to..anything around him.
Belotti has more to his game and probably has a higher ceiling.
You should have gone for Arnautovic though.
You should have gone for Arnautovic though.
What he said
I totally agree with this, although I believe Lukaku will still prove his worth.
I still have faith in Lukaku as he's young and can be coached. However, rather than Morata I would have gone for Shaqiri.
Imagine if we got Griezmann, Rashford, Martial as a front three.
Now that would be fluid.
Now that would be fluid.
Neither are exactly world beaters, Lukaku hasn't actually got a technique, Morata massively inconsistent.
As a side thought, Icardi would be a great fit at Utd
As a side thought, Icardi would be a great fit at Utd
Not Morata, by a long shot.
Mourinho made a mistake here, because he knew Lukaku well and thus must have know Romelu would struggle to play as a typical Jose CF/target man.
Mourinho made a mistake here, because he knew Lukaku well and thus must have know Romelu would struggle to play as a typical Jose CF/target man.
I think this is a wrong argument. We have got Lukaku so stop complaining. If there is 1 striker that I wish we should have gone after, it would be Aguero; or Lewandoski instead of RVP. On the other hand I think we have got the wrong Sanchez. There are hundreds of good right wingers out there and we got ourselves a left winger who can't score nor playing for the team.
Awful thread
I think neither of them particularly suit us. It is perhaps interesting that we were in a similar situation this summer when we had a number of possible signing options at central defence - none of whom anyone was blown away or thought of as a must buy. The club held its nerve and did not sign anyone, even though it is pretty clear our defence is not great.
I've almost given up on Lukaku. I just can't see anything that points to any kind of improvement and he just gets worse the more he plays.
Morata, for what it's worth, has a lot more to offer. I rate him higher than Lukaku and yes I'm basing that on a limited amount of apps for Chelsea and the way he's taken his goals. I'm probably alone on this but I can see a class player in there who is adapting well to the PL and will only get better. So I'd swap him for Lukaku any day of the week.
Not a constructive argument. However food for thought!
Morata, for what it's worth, has a lot more to offer. I rate him higher than Lukaku and yes I'm basing that on a limited amount of apps for Chelsea and the way he's taken his goals. I'm probably alone on this but I can see a class player in there who is adapting well to the PL and will only get better. So I'd swap him for Lukaku any day of the week.
Not a constructive argument. However food for thought!
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Before Morata came to the PL I was fairly confident that Morata is the superior footballer based on his technical ability, which is significantly better than Lukaku's. However he has flopped hard so far, whereas Lukaku has been decent if somewhat inadequate for a top team. It's difficult to argue in Morata's favour right now.
We also do not currently have a manager who's likely to make the best use of Morata even if a swap were possible imo.
6 goals in 15 playing in a team that is on fire is definitely what we need! If you're looking for garbage finishing and 15 dives a game then Morata is your man. Bang average and can barely better Lukaku in the worst form of his life.
I don't even rate Lukaku highly btw, he would be a squad player for our best teams of the past. Certainly not at the level to be a guaranteed starter every game, far too reliant on service to lead the line 50 games a season.
I have a feeling this all hate stems from those comments he made about wanting to play for Juventus one day.
Before that, I don’t remember him receiving as much hate.
Before that, I don’t remember him receiving as much hate.
Wanted neither, but Morata has a higher ceiling. I think that's why the obsession with him is there, if we signed the right one and based on the question mark of if Lukaku can actually improve...
But as i said. I wanted neither, at the time for 90m could have got both Vardy & Mandzukic and probably had spare change left over
But as i said. I wanted neither, at the time for 90m could have got both Vardy & Mandzukic and probably had spare change left over
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It should go that Lukaku is a great striker for a club at Everton’s level, except we are at that level and he’s not.
I'd swap at the moment simply because Morata wouldn't break play up with his poor technical ability. I still believe that Lukaku is the better player though but he simply doesn't work in our system. If I was picking a striker for Everton than I'd pick Lukaku over Morata anyday.
We were right in signing Lukaku over Morata. Problem is, as we've seen this season, they're both not very good. They're both backups for elite clubs. This is also a big problem in world fooball right now -- all the good strikers are getting old (Lewa, Suarez, Cavani, etc) and the young ones aren't very good (Morata, Lukaku, etc).
Easy to score a hat trick against the likes of San Marino.
That was very true but not any more, even mid to lower table teams go for it against us and still no movement from Lukaku. Unless someone offers the ball to him on a plate to put in the net, he is most likely not scoring. Actually this season opportunities have been put on a plate for him and he still got it right to fluff his chances. As soon as someone mentions that the Lukaku FC come out to point out he is living off scraps.
Simply put I didn't want either of them Lukaku or Morata, would've preferred someone with more talent and composure for Jose's style of playing someone like a Diego Costa would've been a wiser investment for our team and tactics.
To be quite honest we paid a fortune for a cheap knockoff of Drogba but I can't be too hard on him because like all the players playing under Jose, no one has progressed in their game only regressed.
Average return. Only 16 of them were in the league. I'm confident if for example martial had got a full undroppable season up front he would get more than 16 in the league
I never claimed it to be gospel, its just a feeling. I could be wrong of course but Jose has a clear type when it comes to his strikers. Big target man, with great hold up play that's able to bring others into play.How could you possibly know this
Drogba, Milito, Zlatan and Costa. Lukaku is nothing like them, as mentioned he's more like Vardy/Hernandez than those strikers and that's been clear since his everton days.
How lucky would we have been to have Dzeko at this club.
Of course we did.
Lukaku was always a donkey.
He at least looked like he cared last year which helped win a lot of us over but he was never great. He's just big and imposing and sometimes that works for him so he scores but technically he's beyond appalling and when he's out of form it's magnified 100x.
Lukaku was always a donkey.
He at least looked like he cared last year which helped win a lot of us over but he was never great. He's just big and imposing and sometimes that works for him so he scores but technically he's beyond appalling and when he's out of form it's magnified 100x.
Anybody else worried a bit that Lukaku just seems vastly heavier and less fit than he generally did at Everton, i know there are pictures circulating but the fact is he does just look generally heavier and sluggish.
We need a mobile striker who can PRESS FROM THE FRONT.
Someone who can force errors in defenders and instill a pressure with movement and the ability to bring other into play QUICKLY.
Unpopular opinion, but I think a front 3 of Martial, Sanchez and Vardy or Firmino would bring us more joy than our current front 3 line-ups...
That isn't to say that I think Vardy or Firmino are better players, or strikers than Rom - just that in this current United side, we need a striker that begins the press up top and doesn't stop all game.
Someone who forces errors and who's running and harrying brings space for players like Sanchez / Martial / Pogba to exploit.
Someone who can force errors in defenders and instill a pressure with movement and the ability to bring other into play QUICKLY.
Unpopular opinion, but I think a front 3 of Martial, Sanchez and Vardy or Firmino would bring us more joy than our current front 3 line-ups...
That isn't to say that I think Vardy or Firmino are better players, or strikers than Rom - just that in this current United side, we need a striker that begins the press up top and doesn't stop all game.
Someone who forces errors and who's running and harrying brings space for players like Sanchez / Martial / Pogba to exploit.
Lukaku over morata any day .I know lukaku will come good in due time and start scoring freely again. All strikers have a rough patch but with the utter lack of attacking fluency in our general play till very recently, there were hardly many clear cut chances being created. To lay the blame for that at lukaku feet is just not right.
Now that I see our left side coming together and the other flank hopefully having Mata and Herrera behind him, there is at least a hope in hell that we'll be better .In that scenario at least , I expect the big man will come good and help us clinch top four
Now that I see our left side coming together and the other flank hopefully having Mata and Herrera behind him, there is at least a hope in hell that we'll be better .In that scenario at least , I expect the big man will come good and help us clinch top four
Hazard and we got a deal.
Lukaku has been lethal for Belgium. He was brilliant at Everton. Last season here he was great. He's absolutely exhausted from the world cup. He will get back on song. In the PL having a physical presence up front can work really well for a lot of teams. We're still disjointed as a team as there's a few players here that are not happy under Jose like Martial, Pogba, Sanchez and possibly De Gea and flirting with other clubs and this along with Jose's defensive confrontational style has given the team a disjointed feel since start of season
Vardy
And Firmino is on almost as long a barren spell as Lukaku.
And Firmino is on almost as long a barren spell as Lukaku.
No to the op. We simply play the wrong system and ask him to do the wrong things which is why we don't get the best from him.
Not true. Almost all of his goals are against minnows, never scores against the good teams. Even you and I could score against Gibraltar. Let Batushayi play the same amount of games and he’ll score as many goals
This is the only place where this bollox is discussed.
How many actual games do Belgium play against the best teams though?
And how many strikers keep the same rate against the best.
Not many to both.
He is a big part of this problem and not just a victim of it.
But that is the basis of the proposition - if Lukaku does not fit how we play, would morata fit better?
cos neither is at the level that you should build a team around him.