Lukaku

[bluemangroup]

I like him as a player (I loved him at WBA) but they didn't play similar to what we do. Just hate him at Everton thats all

I just think there is a lack of quality attacking players around him at the moment tbh. He's not perfect, but we aren't opening many teams up to put it on a plate for him.

 

[Azzurri]

Wouldn't say he's awful or I hate him, but I agree with Ste when he says Lukaku's poor in the air. Looks like he's got 20kg weights round his ankles most of the time.

 

[PaddyG]

Osman has never been quality in the air...

The header against City was one of the best headers i've ever seen.

Remember him scoring a couple of headers against west brom and one away at Arsenal.

So yes, he has it in him.

Difficult to remember Lukaku is just 20, his game will improve

 

[Azzurri]

If Osman was 6 foot tall he'd be a massive aerial threat, seriously.

For all his faults he can't half jump.

 

[riddick]

It was a tactical change, we basically played with two strikers against WBA. I don't think RM said "hoof it up to the big guy" but there was certainly no number 10 trying to link the midfield to the forward players.

didnt Martinez say that he told them to go long because the midfield was awful and not conducive to the team playing their game?

 

[SteKelly]

If Osman was 6 foot tall he'd be a massive aerial threat, seriously.

For all his faults he can't half jump.

yeah he probably would. I was using that as an example though. If someone does it a couple of times it doesn't mean they have it in them.

 

[Jxg]

And last week I got shouted at for saying his control is poor...

 

[Deco]

I'm 100% with the idea that no one is immune from criticism.

Even then, Lukaku was never going to score every game for us. He's 20 years old.

He's not perfect. There are flaws in his game. But if there wasn't, we wouldn't have been able to sign him.

Even Falcao hasn't been on top scoring form this season, in fact, he's scored the same amount as Lukaku in a much worse league and he cost Monaco £50m in the summer.

 

[dholliday]

Looks like he's got 20kg weights round his ankles most of the time.

aye, I see that too. We've got a thing for heavy-looking lumpy leadenfooted strikers: Beattie, Yak, Vic and now Lukaku. To be fair to Rom he's looking like the best goalscorer we've had since Yak's first season with us, and his derby header was something special.

He seriously needs to work on his first touch...big priority that. The next priority is improving the service to him, which may be a case of waiting for Ross and eventually delboy to come back.

 

[SpeedEFC]

Lukaku hasn't been on top form granted but I can't really blame him because what he's saying is pretty accurate to be fair. I know our backup players may not have the best vision but there's been times when Lukaku has made a great run that even Stevie Wonder would see and all our player has to do is slide it through to him and he's through on goal but they refuse to play that ball. It's almost like our players have been told to not play the through ball because there's no way the likes of Mirallas are so greedy that they can't recognise a good opportunity for a throughball when they would be running into blind alleys otherwise.

 

[ianefc]

When he's doing well he mouths off about how he going back to Chelsea when he is Shyte he mouths of about our style of play. He is woeful we can't create chances for him if we can't get our creative players into the final 3rd

 

[deipnosophist]

The header against City was one of the best headers i've ever seen.

Remember him scoring a couple of headers against west brom and one away at Arsenal.

So yes, he has it in him.

Difficult to remember Lukaku is just 20, his game will improve

Think he scored a header at Carrow Rd last season

 

[nigelcoyb]

Much ado about nothing he is better running on to through balls but my reading of the interview is he's just defending why he's not notching as before.

Seems he realises it's circumstance rather than design and figures he needs to do something different till the team is back at full strength - pretty fair to me - not undermining anyone.

 

[bluemangroup]

Tbh, at least the lad acknowledges he's out of touch. He could have just come here and coasted through a season with us.

 

[mkrudden]

I have to agree with Rom in stating that his role is changing, but I do think it's an enforced change because of our injured players and those we have available.

Ross and him are a boss partnership, and what Ross has is the eye for the imaginative, unpredictable passing (sometimes getting us in trouble it's that unpredictable!)

Without Ross we are so much more predictable. When Kev plays behind the striker as he did on Mon, he wants to just play off Rom in a more conventional strike partnership ie looking for flick ons etc.

Naismith doesn't offer too much creativity, and Osman is a fading force. All in all without Barkley are whole system naturally changes, I'm not sure why Rom doesn't understand this rather than voicing annoyance in the press.