Lukaku

[HibbertsLeftFoot]

Step up, la.

 

[EFCPaul]

The lad hasn't played badly at all so far this season, I'm boggled as to why he's getting so much stick. He didn't score in the first three games put played really well in all three, especially considering he wasn't fully fit. He terrorised Arsenal especially on the right flank.

Give him service then 9 times out of 10 he will score. He's not a target man, we know that. He's not exactly a battering ram either. He's just an out and out striker, get the ball to him in or around the box, sod expecting him to run around the pitch like some headless chicken chasing every loose ball, he's not Marcus Bent.

 

[Kiwi]

We've seen him in a slightly different role to last season as a result of Ross being out. When Lukaku and Ross play together, Lukaku gets more space as a result of the type of player Ross is, as in one who creates spaces for others and draws players to him by his direct running with the ball.
While Ross has been out, the defences have reacted accordingly and as such Rom hasn't had the space he usually might. However what Lukaku's physicality does is means that players double mark him and his runs sometimes, which creates the space which Naismith thrives on when Naisy is sitting in between their defence and midfield as a second striker. Just because he hasn't scored as much as some would hope doesn't mean he isn't integral to our attacking play.

 

[zirc]

The lad hasn't played badly at all so far this season, I'm boggled as to why he's getting so much stick. He didn't score in the first three games put played really well in all three, especially considering he wasn't fully fit. He terrorised Arsenal especially on the right flank.

Give him service then 9 times out of 10 he will score. He's not a target man, we know that. He's not exactly a battering ram either. He's just an out and out striker, get the ball to him in or around the box, sod expecting him to run around the pitch like some headless chicken chasing every loose ball, he's not Marcus Bent.

Because he cost £28m and for no other reason

 

[Professor Toffee]

The lad hasn't played badly at all so far this season, I'm boggled as to why he's getting so much stick. He didn't score in the first three games put played really well in all three, especially considering he wasn't fully fit. He terrorised Arsenal especially on the right flank.

Give him service then 9 times out of 10 he will score. He's not a target man, we know that. He's not exactly a battering ram either. He's just an out and out striker, get the ball to him in or around the box, sod expecting him to run around the pitch like some headless chicken chasing every loose ball, he's not Marcus Bent.

I guess the stick is that he's now our record signing and we expect only the best from now on

 

[bluegirl]

So hope he nets tomorrow would give him all the confidence in the world especially if it's a win...

 

[Ruairi77]

Because he cost £28m and for no other reason

He didn't cost anywhere near 28 million.

 

[Dozbik]

He didn't cost anywhere near 28 million.

Huh? That figure was posted on the official site.

 

[Ruairi77]

Huh? That figure was posted on the official site.

Robert Earl and his son watched the WBA game with us. I was sat beside him but didn't know who he was. When lukaku scored, I screamed 'yea... thats what 28 million buys!'. He calmly said 'he didn't cost 28 million'.
I got the impression that if we won the CL over the life of his contract and he scored as much as Dixie, we might have to pay that much.
Anyway, nice bloke, he and his son seemed well in to it! Wore a shirt only a multi millionaire could wear.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Robert Earl and his son watched the WBA game with us. I was sat beside him but didn't know who he was. When lukaku scored, I screamed 'yea... thats what 28 million buys!'. He calmly said 'he didn't cost 28 million'.
I got the impression that if we won the CL over the life of his contract and he scored as much as Dixie, we might have to pay that much.
Anyway, nice bloke, he and his son seemed well in to it! Wore a shirt only a multi millionaire could wear.

I got the same impression tbh, suited both clubs to state a high transfer figure. Chelsea so their fans didn't get annoyed they were selling a young good striker cheap like they did with Sturridge and Everton as a statement of intent.

 

[marty mcfly]

I think the fee is irrelevant anyway. We knew what we where getting and we where delighted getting him back. None of us thought we should go to 28m but the fact we did or didn't doesn't mean we got a different player than we had last season.

 

[Toffeelover]

So hope he nets tomorrow would give him all the confidence in the world especially if it's a win...

I hope he nets more than once.

 

[Furey1878]

He's got a decent goal record against Liverpool, it would be really nice if we've finally got a player who can haunt them.

 

[zirc]

He didn't cost anywhere near 28 million.

You and I know that.

 

[Tubey]

Because he's been a goalscorer in a certain type of system.

Watch that video, watch his goals for Belgium. Notice how they're in behind a defence. Watch his Everton goals, particularly the one for Arsenal, and you'll notice it's when he gets ball to feet and has a chance to run at defenders holding a high line, exploiting space.

Then watch pretty much any game in 2014 where a side drops deep and Everton are trying to break them down and note the difference.

He is not a guaranteed goalscorer - nobody other than exactly three players in world football are. There's a good chance he'll get us goals if we either set up to his strengths or he continues to develop, but that's an entirely different argument.

If he was a guaranteed 20 goal a season player, I maintain that Mourinho would not be letting him go, or that he'd be going for Suarez money.

It's still this all day for me - he's missing Barkley horribly. Any side that set up to counter us pretty much guarantee that Lukaku is going to have a poor game, as his movement into space to link the play together and his first touch are both some distance away from being top drawer.

Which is why I'd back him to score against Liverpool, as they'll set up to swamp us early - the issue is stopping four going past us the other way at the moment.