Normally, anyone up against Kompany [even on his bad days] usually gets bulled and harrassed out of 50/50's but Lukaku has been doing this regularly this season. I look forward to seeing how he can improve on that note and become more consistent at aerial duels. While I dont think its a good strategy to always kick it up to him, we're going to need it from time to time.
I agree with this assessment. I think typically, he and United would be best served with him running onto the ball rather than playing as a static target man. That said, given how good he is at first time passes into the path of runners, keeping the ball on the ground really might be our best bet with him most times.
For the record, this point is exactly why Smalls deserves some stick for his part on Kompany's goal, at the same time if we acknowledge that Kompany is just a physical beast, it explains how he manhandled Smalling that easily on his goal. Smalling is not the strongest nor the weakest physically but compared to Kompany it doesn't compare in that dept and it's no surprise at all he got the best of him on that corner. Not sure there's much he could have done to stop him honestly in that sequence.
An interesting point. None of our CBs are all that physically imposing. Not weak, but definitely not in the company, pardon the pun, of Kompany.
Smalling is absolutely physically imposing. He can physically boss and run with just about any forward in the game, and equally compete with most CB's. We have seen him demonstrate this numerous times. His problem is entirely mental. He appears to get rag dolled because he switches off. He's not always as focused as he should be and makes mental gaffs. That goal he conceded against Kompany was him switching off. It's been the story of his entire career, back when he was at Fulham. I posted this in here over 8 years ago now in his original thread. Trouble is, he never ironed out those mental mistakes from his enough to become top percentile.
I've maintained that Smalling does not get a complete pass on the goal either, and those points have some validity to them but he still had to contend with one of the strongest and most physical CBs there is in Kompany. He may be very prone to injury, but it still does not change the fact that he's very intimidating physically. Characterizing him as a physical beast was a deliberate qualifier. And as it's been mentioned, Kompany had the measure of Lukaku physically for most of the game as well. And I don't think there's any question that he (Lukaku) is significantly stronger than Smalling (as I said, he's not the weakest CB around, nor is he the strongest). Looking at the corner that resulted in the first goal, Kompany went hard at it with Smalling. The knock on Smalling is that he should have expected the rush from Kompany (given it was a repeat of what happened between those 2 a few years back). But in the end, there aren't many players who are supposed to handle Kompany 1v1 physically.
And I don't care how determined you are, you don't move around a guy like Smalling so easily unless you actually can. You look at a picture of Kompany shirtless and the guy is built to go, not for show.
Ashur is spot on. Kompany is a beast and would have mauled most CBs on that occasion. Not all, but most.
Jose will not be buying more players to compete with Lukaku. www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11328780/man-united-boss-jose-mourinho-rules-out-buying-more-competition-for-romelu-lukaku
Lukaku has signed with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports. www.bizjournals.com/albany/prnewswire/press_releases/New_York/2018/04/19/NY70182
How is this even measured? 11 - Romelu Lukaku has scored the most goals from attempts under high pressure from defenders in the Premier League this season. Qualifier.— Stats Perform Pro (@OptaPro) May 9, 2018
Happy birthday, @RomeluLukaku9—a Premier League great in the making 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ly8VYkpEnd— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 13, 2018
Totally subjective, but a useful stat. There are tap-ins and there are shots under high pressure. There are probably some shots that are probably on the bubble as to "high pressure" but probably very few that are seriously debatable.
Ok. But I also think he is topping that list because he creates more pressure for himself with his poor first touch.
Possibly. Though how many clear cut, pressure-free chances do we create? Certainly nowhere near as many as the rest of the top four. You can read it however you want as to the cause.
Dries Mertens on how Lukaku has improved as a player. www.sportwitness.co.uk/i-really-respect-belgium-star-discusses-man-united-forwards-recent-improvements/ Lukaku's first touch still lets him down at times, but I think the improvement in that department also is pretty noticeable, as is his overall play in general. He was expected to step up this season to the level expected of a United player and safe for that period in the middle of the season, he's managed that. There's still room for him to grow and the good thing is that he appears eager and willing to pick up the challenge. Hopefully, he'll level up further next season, with more talent around him.
"Clear cut chances" are usually created by the striker himself. Very few are the result of what we'd call a tap-in, a goal that's the result of a perfect pass and scored on one touch. Strikers generally have to work for their goals, whether it's to beat the last defender and score an "easy" goal or take the shot while being marked. Lukaku has done his job, although I'd like to have seen him score closer to 35 goals in all comps (compared to 27 as of now), but where we've been let down is the inability of our second striker to do his part. 11 goals in all comps by Martial just isn't good enough, partially for a player of his immense talent.
Lukaku has become world class since leaving Chelsea - Cahill www.espn.com/soccer/english-premier-league/story/3500102/manchester-uniteds-romelu-lukaku-has-become-world-class-since-leaving-chelsea-gary-cahill Everyone has their own definition of what world class means, I suppose but Lukaku is not world class yet as far as I'm concerned. He clearly has progressed as a player, especially this season in terms of expanding the scope of his game. He's still not productive enough in terms of goals vs top oppo to be considered world class, like the Lewa, Suarez, Aguero, Aubameyang etc...
My relationship with Mourinho is perfect - Lukaku www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11390034/romelu-lukaku-says-relationship-with-manchester-united-manager-jose-mourinho-is-perfect
As a person, there's a lot to like about him. He's not your standard mid 20s, big time athlete. He's educated, well spoken, speaks 5-6 languages and he's a relatively humble and hardworking guy to boot (both on and off the pitch). Very much like Vincent Kompany was (and still is really). The type of person he is, is a big reason why I hope he'll truly be thought of as one an elite player one day, like among the top 5 strikers in the game. Still think it possible for him (especially with the changing of the guard about to take place at the position).