Few strikers have or ever will walk away from a battle with revered central defensive pairing Giorginio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci covered in glory.
The Italian duo give nothing away and were integral to Juventus‘ 1-0 Champions League win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in midweek, coping with the hosts’ second half onslaught with class and ultimately, relative ease.
A robust, beast of a striker Romelu Lukaku may be on his day but against the centre-backs from Turin, he was tamed and rendered harmless. Defenders must be given credit and Jose Mourinho duly did post-match, stating Chiellini and Bonucci’s expertise is sophisticated to the point that they could teach their trade at Havard University.
Lukaku’s failure to score on Wednesday night, extending his barren run to eight games, is therefore understandable. The fact that he looked more Sunday League than Champions League, though, is not.
Under pressure or not, the Belgian could not have controlled a ball to save his life. He wasn’t fouled once during the game but barely got anywhere near the goal, registering zero efforts. Those stats though weren’t nearly as alarming as his post-match comments.
Romelu Lukaku (L) and Giorgio Chiellini.
“The players need to know me and know my movement,” he said.
That would sounds like a plausible argument had this performance come at this stage last season. However, Lukaku has already made 64 appearances for United, largely playing alongside the same group of players.
In the Belgian’s defence, he isn’t exactly showered with glorious opportunities as the lone striker for United. Under Mourinho, the Red Devils have scarcely delivered exciting, attacking football.
Lukaku could certainly benefit from his team-mates playing closer to him, offering more options for knock-downs and lay-offs while running in behind when he drops off. Instead, United’s shape has been rigid, the movement in the final third non-existent. Service into Lukaku has not been up to the mark either so you can empathise with a striker having to feed off scraps.
At the same time, the 25-year-old hasn’t helped his case. At his sharpest, he’s deceptively quick but a lumbering style comes to the fore when he’s not in optimum shape and then he’s only as fast as he looks, which isn’t exactly rapid.
Andy Keogh has blasted Usain Bolt for having a “touch of a trampoline” and given the way passes have bounced off Lukaku lately, one can only imagine the clever analogy the former Ireland striker might concoct to describe the United man’s control.
Lukaku this season. He needs to be dropped #MUFC pic.twitter.com/HtWfiHmJRs
— Manchester United (@ManUtds_News) October 26, 2018
Even Mourinho, who has sometimes made living in denial seem like an art form, admitted to his striker’s obvious struggles.
“I have to agree his moment is not sweet,” he said. “Not just with the goals he is not scoring, but in his confidence, movement, touch. He is not linking the game well with the team.
In spite of being fully aware of Lukaku’s poor form, that isn’t limited to scoring goals, Mourinho insists on persisting with his £75m signing and Gary Neville for one, thinks he should.
“He’s got to keep playing,” Neville said at the launch of former teammate Ben Thornley’s book.
“Let’s imagine it was Wayne Rooney at Manchester United. You would play him through bits of bad form and continue to give belief because you know full well they’re still contributing.”
That’s where the argument falls apart though, with Rooney. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, even when the former England international wasn’t scoring, he was working hard, running the channels, getting on the ball and creating chances. He still made big contributions to the team’s play. Lukaku’s presence up front at the moment is detrimental to a side that has enough issues as it is without adding the poor form of their striker to the list.
Yet, he looks set to face former employers Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday. What of a talent like Marcus Rashford? The youngster has a goal and two assists in his last three for club and country. He isn’t in scintillating form either, but if he isn’t getting ahead of Lukaku in the pecking order now, then when?
Even when the Belgian scored a few goals earlier this season, he was missing glorious chances. He hasn’t looked right since the World Cup and it’s worth taking him out of the firing line until he gathers his bearings.
In his present condition, he’s not doing his team any favours by fluttering around on the pitch, waiting to have his mojo restored to him. And in United’s present condition, they can’t afford to carry players through games.
