What's actually going on with Romelu Lukaku? (5 things to bear in mind)

1. Don't listen to José Mourinho. As you will have read in many other places since the 1-0 home win over Tottenham, there has been a lot of bemusement over Mourinho's comments regarding the United fans' lack of support for the Belgian striker. It seems to be a strange game that Mourinho is playing; unable to fill his hours with being the manager of one of the world's biggest football clubs, he needs to be having a constant argument with the press, the fans and anyone else he sees in his day-to-day life. In a bizarre twist, after trying to be seen to be defending Lukaku to the hilt, the Portuguese coach then decided he needed to send orders onto the field during the Benfica game to prevent him from ending his dry spell from the penalty spot, insisting instead that Daley Blind should take it.

2. He is the victim of his own good start. Lukaku scored 10 in his first 9 competitive games for United, the only game in which he didn't score was against Leicester, when he missed a penalty. You might even say he has shot himself in the foot by starting so well, there was no way he was going to keep that form up.
Photo by Ardfern

3. Stastically, he is playing about the same as last season. Hi goals-per-game is marginally better (0.7 compared to 0.68) but his shooting accuracy is marginally worse (46% from 50%). Perhaps most importantly however, Big Rom has missed 5 'big chances' so far this season, according to the guys over at Premier League HQ. This looks set to be significantly higher than the 8 that he missed in the entirety of last season. Although these statistics are always slightly subjective, anyone who has been watching much of his play will see that his finishing hasn't been as clinical as it should be.

4. Playing as a striker for Manchester United isn't the same as playing for Everton. Not that it's more difficult, just different. There will be plenty rushing to point out that at United there is better service, higher quality players and, consequently, more chances to finish. But this is only part of the story; far fewer teams set out to defend against Everton than United and Lukaku, as the lone striker, will find himself sandwiched between two or three central defenders and perhaps a deep-lying midfielder in a very defensive setup. This means that when Lukaku is looked to for his hold-up play and flick-ons, as Mourinho enjoys doing when he has a big man up front, he will have a lot less time and space.

5. This 'dry spell' is not without precedent. Lukaku scored just 2 goals for Everton in the whole of October and November last year and just 3 in September and October the previous season so Lukaku is prone to going reasonably long periods without being particularly prolific but, with 7 league goals already to his name, you'd be a fool to bet against him making it a second twenty-goal season in a row.

Comments