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Romelu Lukaku

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He's not a target man, though. Despite his size and strength, he really isn't good at holding up the ball at all. He might develop that over time, but it certainly isn't the way he should be utilized right now.
 
The reason he is a poor target man is because his control is terrible. It bounces off him. He is better at running at players and chasing balls down the wing, hence the reason he always plays better when we counter attack rather than possession based football. Control/concentration can be worked on so i wouldnt worry just yet. We forget how young he is at times.
 
SAF about Romelu's agent:
‘There are one or two football agents I simply do not like, and Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba’s agent is one of them. I distrusted him from the moment I met him.
‘We had Paul under a three-year contract, and it had a one-year renewal option which we were eager to sign.
‘Raiola suddenly appeared on the scene and our first meeting was a fiasco. He and I were like oil and water.
‘From then our goose was cooked because Raiola had been able to integrate himself with Paul and his family and the player signed with Juventus.’
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How do we rate Lukaku compared to Yakubu?

Yakubu never seemed to play well or score against any of the top four but slotted for fun against everyone else. His hold-up and link-up play was also excellent.

Lukaku seems to do well against Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool but looks a bit ungainly against the lesser teams due to his poor touch.

I think Yak in his prime would be a better fit in our team at present.
 

We need to play to his strengths more- keep him on the last man and getting in the channels. The boy is quick and string and can finish we just need him further up teh pitch more often as hes not the best in the build up play and can invariably lose the ball or mis control.
 
Well he had 3 through balls to convert on Saturday, that IS playing to his strengths, shame he was asleep, he needs to do better, and im one of his biggest fans
 
micknick said:
We need to play to his strengths more- keep him on the last man and getting in the channels. The boy is quick and string and can finish we just need him further up teh pitch more often as hes not the best in the build up play and can invariably lose the ball or mis control.
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Like @Pabbers said, he was given opportunities to score a lot Saturday. Ross is really learning quickly and getting the ball how Romelu likes it to be fed to him, he's just screwing it up. Also like was mentioned earlier, the lad has to keep on moving after taking his shot. He hits it so hard often times there is a rebound.
 
john jako said:
The reason he is a poor target man is because his control is terrible. It bounces off him. He is better at running at players and chasing balls down the wing, hence the reason he always plays better when we counter attack rather than possession based football. Control/concentration can be worked on so i wouldnt worry just yet. We forget how young he is at times.
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Last year I would have said you are spot on. This year I can really see the work Lukaku, Martinez and Duncan have put in to this side of his game. Having Kone on the pitch with him has done wonders as well. I think he has done a very good job holding onto the ball and bringing the team up the pitch. Kone is always wise to when Lukaku gets the ball and gets off on a run behind the defence to help drag defenders away from Lukaku and give him and option to play the ball. That is a piece of transition play we have seen a lot.

He just seems to be in a bit of a rut, but I think he will come off the bench today at Reading and bag one and then go on a run.
 

Efcjake said:
Last year I would have said you are spot on. This year I can really see the work Lukaku, Martinez and Duncan have put in to this side of his game. Having Kone on the pitch with him has done wonders as well. I think he has done a very good job holding onto the ball and bringing the team up the pitch. Kone is always wise to when Lukaku gets the ball and gets off on a run behind the defence to help drag defenders away from Lukaku and give him and option to play the ball. That is a piece of transition play we have seen a lot.

He just seems to be in a bit of a rut, but I think he will come off the bench today at Reading and bag one and then go on a run.
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Other top forwards are struggling in the league as well, they are susceptible to highs and lows and he is just in a rut right now, he could easily go out and net a brace Monday. Still boss
 
Strikers have dry patches, it happens. He's still boss. Aguero has scored less than him this season, is he suddenly a crap player now?
 
It's obvious that he's been working on his hold-up game, he's still got a long way to go. He seems to get a bit ahead of himself and try and making moves when he thinks of them instead of when the ball/players are in the right positions. I think if he can continue to improve his first touch and the timing of his passing and runs, he'll be a great footballer. He's a good goal-scorer, and the calls for him to be dropped are silly. He's got some distance to go, but he's 22.

Playing him wide, occasionally, might prove to be a master stroke for his development. I tend to think it allows him to continue developing his hold-up play without the pressure of being marked by two CBs. It seems that the wide position also allows him to watch movement through the center of the pitch while still involved; which will hopefully make him more in tune with the timing and tendencies of his team mates.
 

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