How is Romelu Lukaku still starting for Manchester United?
Manchester United now have just 1 win in their last 7 games following the defeat to Juventus, and Romelu Lukaku once again failed to impress.
In spite of a decent second-half performance, Manchester United only managed to create one clear-cut scoring opportunity when Pogba hit the post from outside the box.
They were outclassed by the Italian champions in a listless first-half performance, managing only 30% possession.
Mourinho went with an unchanged line-up following the draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, opting to go with Juan Mata in a number 10 role instead of a deeper midfielder in Ander Herrera or Fred.
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Juventus successfully managed to isolate Mata and Lukaku from the rest of the midfield, while Martial and Rashford had their hands full with Cancelo and Alex Sandro respectively.
Fans and critics alike have been calling for Lukaku’s head for quite some time now, and it’s baffling that an obsessive disciplinarian like Mourinho is still choosing to go with the Belgian up front.
In spite of his impressive goalscoring record for Belgium, including some brilliant performances at the World Cup in Russia, Lukaku’s last goal for Manchester United came more than a month ago, in a 2-1 away win at Watford.
His movement in and around the box has been non-existent. For a striker with his pace and physicality, he should be causing a lot of problems for defenders, but he looked way out of his depth on Tuesday night against Bonucci and Chiellini.
Having ditched Sanchez for the last few games, Mourinho has gone with Martial and Rashford on the wings. Neither of them are traditional wingers, and they often like to drift inside.
Mourinho needs a striker who can drop deep and link up with them, and Lukaku is certainly not doing that.
However, Jose himself still seems to trust him, at least for the time being.
Following the latest defeat at Old Trafford, Mourinho admitted that Lukaku was in a poor run of form, but that the goals and the confidence will return soon for his number 9.
The Belgian himself recently said that he doesn’t have the kind of understanding with the players at United as he does with his teammates in the national team.
But it’s been more than a season now, and his performances of late haven’t even come close to justifying his £75 million transfer fee.
A manager like Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn’t tolerate Lukaku, and that’s one of the several reasons that he experienced the kind of success he did.
Manchester United need to stop wasting time with David de Gea. dark. Next
Mourinho’s job is on the line here, and for him personally, there’s nothing more to lose. He took a firm stance with Sanchez, and it’s time he did the same with Lukaku.