Romelu Lukaku

[Blue Armour 4,278]

23 hours ago, Tomo said:

I'm not saying Rom's better but I think the out and out number 9 is becoming outdated not just with us but in general. It's no coincidence our best displays under TT come playing false 9.

Also it has to be noted despite his unreal personal stats Dortmund have actually regressed while he's been there.

Yeah true, the game (at least the one played by the top teams atm) is favoring more all-rounded players up front. Players that can control the ball, link up play and also put in a shift defensively.

Prime Eto'o would have been a shoe-in for this team.

[DDA 9,690]

As much as I'm hating on Lukaku myself right now.. let's not get carried away, the bloke is not a 'complete joke' of a striker. He knows where the net is but what I'm against, is having to readjust a working formula to fit him in. He wasn't the right striker we needed. We definitely needed one but it just wasn't him. Hopefully he will prove us all wrong and start banging them in regardless. 

[Blue Armour 4,278]

6 minutes ago, DDA said:

As much as I'm hating on Lukaku myself right now.. let's not get carried away, the bloke is not a 'complete joke' of a striker. He knows where the net is but what I'm against, is having to readjust a working formula to fit him in. He wasn't the right striker we needed. We definitely needed one but it just wasn't him. Hopefully he will prove us all wrong and start banging them in regardless. 

Agreed. Not going to beat down a player as long as he takes some effort. In this case I hope at least Tuchel or Romelu himself takes some effort to adjust his game.

[Tomo 21,733]

8 hours ago, DDA said:

As much as I'm hating on Lukaku myself right now.. let's not get carried away, the bloke is not a 'complete joke' of a striker. He knows where the net is but what I'm against, is having to readjust a working formula to fit him in. He wasn't the right striker we needed. We definitely needed one but it just wasn't him. Hopefully he will prove us all wrong and start banging them in regardless. 

Whoever sanctioned this are the most to blame, it's not like we can claim hindsight like we maybe can with Saul, it was so so obvious Rom wasn't fitting this system.

I didn't want him in 2017 either but back then I understood the logic as he would have been a decent fit for Conte, getting him now however was beyond stupid and has the potential to ruin all the great work Tuchel has done to this point.

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

9 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

Agreed. Not going to beat down a player as long as he takes some effort. In this case I hope at least Tuchel or Romelu himself takes some effort to adjust his game.

The problem is that TT is adamant on Rom to play as a target man and even commanded him back to the centre after a rare move to the side during the last game while Rom is too old to become an accomplished target man by now. There simply is a huge misunderstanding here. Lukaku think he is more of a ball to feet channel runner, charging into space, everyone else thinks bc of his built he is a target man. TT's offensive system is kinda rigid. the attackers rarely switch their positions, whilst the wing backs have quite a lot of freedom.

I am increasingly leaning towards trying him as a RF with Kai as false 9 and CHO or Puli on the left, so his lack of technique is not as obvious and he can play to his strengths. Obviously we lose a lot of pressing with him but there is always a compromise.

[Fulham Broadway 16,838]

Think he'll be an expensive 70th minute man now when opposing defenders are tiring

[Tomo 21,733]

Remember when there was that debate over whether we should have kept young Lukaku instead of bringing in a 32 year old Eto'o?

I'd take our version of Eto'o over this Rom let alone the raw version.

[Blues Forever 1,232]

What a waste of money, our last window turned out to be disastrous after all. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

The composure and technique from Broja to score against Brighton doesn't exist in Lukaku's locker. 

[King Kante 1,476]

1 hour ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Think he'll be an expensive 70th minute man now when opposing defenders are tiring

So, essentially Giroud. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

6 minutes ago, King Kante said:

So, essentially Giroud. 

I would respect Tuchel so much more if he does that. In this case, or I would hope, the entire fanbase would back Tuchel here over Lukaku if he throws a fit. 

[Tomo 21,733]

3 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

I would respect Tuchel so much more if he does that. In this case, or I would hope, the entire fanbase would back Tuchel here over Lukaku if he throws a fit. 

I'd like to think so but after Torres and too an extent Kepa i ain't underestimating just what sort of strange power expensive underperforming players can have on a section of our fanbase.

You just know that stadium tour when he was a teenager will be rolled out as emotional blackmail.

[Fulham Broadway 16,838]

38 minutes ago, King Kante said:

So, essentially Giroud. 

Maybe without the clinical finishing - think he will have his uses and score a few

[King Kante 1,476]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

The problem is that TT is adamant on Rom to play as a target man and even commanded him back to the centre after a rare move to the side during the last game while Rom is too old to become an accomplished target man by now. There simply is a huge misunderstanding here. Lukaku think he is more of a ball to feet channel runner, charging into space, everyone else thinks bc of his built he is a target man. TT's offensive system is kinda rigid. the attackers rarely switch their positions, whilst the wing backs have quite a lot of freedom.

I am increasingly leaning towards trying him as a RF with Kai as false 9 and CHO or Puli on the left, so his lack of technique is not as obvious and he can play to his strengths. Obviously we lose a lot of pressing with him but there is always a compromise.

Playing him as a RF may work better in the attacking phase but in the defensive phase it would be even more disastrous than playing him as a CF as the RF in TT's system has to cover the RWB and thus press and get up and down more than the CF, something he is already struggling with. 

The principal problem with Lukaku isn't his technical issues (which are a problem) but that he is completely the wrong type of player for TT's system. 

The West Ham game was actually a very good case in point as we got one half without him, then one half with him. 

In the first half, the front three were pressing as a unit in a constant and consistent manner, as well as working together as a cohesive unit. This consequently meant West Ham were struggling to get out and when they did push up we were stretching the field to counterattack in a dangerous manner, which also meant they had to keep an extra body back. 

In the second half, the press disappeared which allowed West Ham to step up the field and start attacking us. Additionally, when when we did have a counter-attacking opportunity he was static/central which made the attacks easier to defend. 

[King Kante 1,476]

7 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Maybe without the clinical finishing - think he will have his uses and score a few

Is Lukaku clinical? Tbh, I do not really put him in that category, a good finisher, yes, but a clinical one doesn't have the kind of misses he has had in his career. 

[Fulham Broadway 16,838]

4 minutes ago, King Kante said:

Is Lukaku clinical? Tbh, I do not really put him in that category, a good finisher, yes, but a clinical one doesn't have the kind of misses he has had in his career. 

Lol I meant without Girouds clinical finishing

[laura90 556]

When we were first linked I posted: It's a fecking disgrace. And it was. I don't blame him. But spending 100 mil on Lukaku, whom  we have been watching for two years at United was madness and disgrace of epic proportions that may cost us top four place,  if he regains starting position and injury crisis lasts . I have never wanted striker given options. I badly wanted defensive central midfilder to fill for injury prone Kante and Kovacic.  Not addressing this problem but getting striker who is well past his prime (pacey merchant entering 13th year of active football) was criminal.

Saul? Never ever was solution but I could never comment badly about somebody who may have some mental issues. Never took him serious and nobody should have. 

But hey, even if we are not happy with Lukaku, opposition is delighted. Which other striker is regularly showing to defenders where exactly the ball should go next?

 

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,838]

Still think he will have his uses. He dragged two panicking defenders with him when he came on, freeing up Ziyech to score.