NOW BE A BULLY AGAINST BIG BOYS
ON Saturday we saw Romelu Lukaku at his best, using his brute strength and blistering pace to bully defenders. Huddersfield just could not handle him. At times it looked like men against boys. Why don’t we see these fearsome displays more often? The major criticism levelled at Lukaku is that he is a flat-track bully. All but one of his 12 Premier League goals for Manchester United have been scored against teams currently in the bottom half, with the other against ninth-placed Everton. Those goals have helped United beat teams they struggled to break down last season. But as Manchester United’s £75million centre forward, his role is to define the big moments. It is not just goals that are lacking against United’s top-six rivals but performances, too. In six matches against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham, he has mustered four shots on target. While Jose Mourinho’s negative tactics can mean chances are at a premium, I thought Lukaku’s pace would allow United to launch devastating counter-attacks. So far, that has not materialised. United’s poor form against the teams around them has prevented them from challenging Manchester City for the title. What is stopping him in the big games? Confidence should not be an issue. Lukaku has all the attributes to be a top player. But he does not seem to have the killer instinct that the likes of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane possess. Lukaku appears to be a laid-back character but sometimes he looks uninterested. I have never understood why he chooses not to celebrate some of his goals. Celebrating is impulsive. That buzz you get from scoring is the reason you play football. Is it a visible display of his frustration that he cannot score against the best? He did celebrate on Saturday and he should take this momentum into a crucial few weeks. United’s next two home games are against Chelsea and Liverpool. It may take a winning goal in one of these games to spark Lukaku’s Old Trafford career into life. In 10 years’ time, United fans will remember Lukaku for the moments of magic he creates in the games that really matter, not for those two goals against Huddersfield.