Paul Pogba has been an unmitigated failure at Manchester United. It’s as though the player who pulls on the French shirt is a different one to who pulls on the United shirt. He has not been the biggest disappointment for United this season though. He has gone from 1 goal in every 2 games last season to 1 goal in every 4 games this season. The serial decline of Romelu Lukaku has got to be something of a worry for United fans, what has gone wrong for the big Belgian? Prior to the two besties joining up, much hype was made of their close chemistry via a viral basketball video during their summer break, indeed many would have been willing to take a punt on basketball predictions would have have watched with a keen eye.
Not playing to his strengths
Lukaku is a strong and fast striker. His main strength is playing on the shoulder of the last defender, rolling him and getting a shot off. If you look at the goals he scores it is very rarely through intricate footwork. His first touch is also not always the best, so hold up play is not something that Lukaku excels at. The way United have been playing recently it has been with a more safety first approach, something that is a hallmark of Mourinho teams. This means that United haven’t been looking at getting to ball to the big Belgian on the shoulder of the last defender as often as last season.
He has also been expected to hold the ball up due to receiving the ball much deeper. This is not an aspect of his game that he carries out effectively and it essentially isolates him and causes him to make mistakes. This has all lead to Lukaku suffering with his confidence and getting less chances on goal this season. He is getting fewer opportunities to shoot and he isn’t as confident as last season so is less likely to score when he does get a chance. This is all conspiring to make Lukaku very ineffective so far this season.
Can he turn it around?
The simple answer is yes. The removal of Mourinho as manager and the introduction of Solskjaer means that United should be moving to a more attacking style of play. Solksjaer played attacking football at Molde with some pundits describing them as the Scandinavian Liverpool. This means that the ball should be moving forward much faster and getting to Lukaku higher up the pitch in the future. This should allow United to get the most out of him. It’s undeniable that when Lukaku is in form he is one of the best goalscorers around.
Pogba to the rescue?
The reintroduction of a reinvigorated Paul Pogba should also help to get the best out of Lukaku. If Solskjaer can get the best out of Paul Pogba then United will have the creator they need to provide the chances for Lukaku. As the relationship with Mourinho deteriorated so did the performances of Pogba. This lead the Lukaku seeing less of the ball in dangerous areas and getting fewer chances to score. The Christmas period could be the turning point in Lukaku and United’s season, if the old Lukaku comes back then Premier League defenders will need to watch out.