Romelu Lukaku currently plays for Chelsea after making the switch from Inter Milan in the 2021 summer transfer window for a fee in the region of £97.5 million. It’s his second stint with Chelsea when he first made the move back in 2011 at the tender age of 18 from Anderlecht. He never really got an opportunity then and was a very raw striker coming out of Anderlecht and now he has a point to prove as a mature proven striker back in the Premier League.
Lukaku never really had the chance to prove himself at the biggest stage during his first stint at Chelsea. He was used sparingly and was loaned out a few times to get used to the level of the Premier League, once with West Brom where he was fantastic and another with Everton which convinced them to finally make the transfer permanent. He made a name for himself during his time at Everton being the focal point of the attack and scoring goals at will improving on his tally each year and even scoring a career-best 25 goals in the 2016/17 season. That prompted transfer speculation where it seemed like Lukaku was ready to finally take that next step and not only join a big club, but also make a difference. There were rumors of him moving back to Chelsea because Chelsea was in need of a striker at the time and wanted him back and also Manchester United was in the market for a striker as well. He opted to join Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United to get United back on top of the Premier League.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Manchester United was coming off of winning the Europa League in 2017 and Lukaku joined during that summer to take United one step closer to challenge for the title and compete in the Champion’s League. And while he performed admirably, scoring 16 goals and providing 7 assists during his debut campaign with United, Mourinho wasn’t utilizing Lukaku where he can perform at his best. Mourinho’s tactics are based on the counterattack with the ball lobbed over to have a fast transition before the defense can get organized. Lukaku, on the other hand, is at his best back to the goal and holds the ball up so that his teammates can catch up and link up play. As a result, it’ll slow the game down a little bit and potentially allow the defense to set up which Mourinho does not want to happen in his system. Thus, it wasn’t all Lukaku’s fault for underperforming at United because he went into a system where it didn’t suit his play style. Even after a change in manager during his second season at United with Ole Gunnar Solskjær at the helm, Lukaku wasn’t able to perform to the best of his abilities because once again, Solskjær also did not utilize Lukaku to his strengths. So, it was time for a change again.
This time Inter Milan came calling with Antonio Conte convincing Lukaku that he’ll be able to bring the best out of Lukaku with his system. Instead of a lone striker formation that Lukaku was often part of during his English Premier League days, Conte opted to switch his formation from his traditional 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation to 3-5-2 formation. And it worked brilliantly. Having that extra striker to partner up with Lukaku allowed Lukaku to utilize his strengths to the max. While he holds the ball up away from the defender, it’ll sometimes draw another defender to double team which then allows his striking partner, Lautaro Martinez to make runs in behind the defense and create chances for him. It opened up a lot of space for his teammates and be a more complete striker than just a one-dimensional one he was used to during his time in the Premier League. His first season with Inter Milan was a success scoring 23 goals while providing 2 assists helping them to a 2nd place finish. There’s something to note here though, however. He may not directly assist his teammates to a goal, but he did provide plenty of hockey-type assists where he passed it onto one of his teammates and that teammate provided the assist for a goal. That’s the type of player Lukaku was able to be and impact the match that may not show up on the stat sheet. Yes, he scored many goals for the team, but he also influenced the game with his hold-up play, decision-making, and distribution.
His second season is where he became more of a complete striker influencing the game in every which way and imposing his will on the opposition. He scored 24 goals to lead the team while providing 11 assists to help Inter Milan win their first Scudetto since the 2009/10 season where they famously won the treble. But even after winning the league, Inter Milan ran into some financial problems that forced them to sell some of their prominent and key players in order to balance their budget. One player they were forced to sell was Lukaku. With a sizeable fee coming their way from Chelsea, they had no choice but to sell Lukaku and return back to what he started. He had some unfinished business at Chelsea, but this time he returns as a mature and proven player who’ll be a difference-maker for Chelsea.
Lukaku’s role will be similar to what he was used to in Inter Milan. Chelsea will look to utilize his strengths to their advantage especially his ability to hold up play and get his teammates involved which he did a lot during his time at Inter Milan. The system might be different, but his style of play will be relatively the same which can’t be said during his first time at Chelsea and Manchester United. He’ll be asked to hold the ball up and allow his teammates to make runs in behind the defense or stay out wide to provide the width and continue the attack. Even though it’s a 3-4-2-1 system that Thomas Tuchel will be using to maximize Lukaku, Kai Havertz will act as a 2nd striker for Lukaku and make those runs in behind all the while Marcos Alonso and Reece James will provide the width. It’ll benefit two players, especially in this system: Havertz and Lukaku. Havertz performed admirably when he was utilized almost as a shadow striker and being in the box when he was at Leverkusen FC. Lukaku performs best when he has another striker making those runs while he holds up the ball. This will allow both players to utilize and maximize their skillsets and should complement each other well with their style of play.
Lukaku will be tasked to not only score goals but also to get his teammates involved as much as possible. Using his strength, he’ll be able to overpower some of the defenders and create chances for himself. But when that happens, it’ll draw another defender toward him and open up spaces for his teammates. He’ll draw many double teams to one-prevent him from getting the ball or two when he has the ball have him get rid of it as soon as possible. And the reason for double-teaming is because it’s almost impossible to get the ball off of him with just one defender. And that’s exactly what happened during his first match against Arsenal where Chelsea won comfortably 2-0.
Pablo Mari was helpless against Lukaku defending him one-on-one. So, Mikel Arteta schemed it so that Kieran Tierney or Granit Xhaka would double team Lukaku. Unfortunately, it did not work for Arsenal and Arteta as the double team would come late and Lukaku was able to either outmuscle Mari and dribble around him or pass the ball to the open man in space and it was mostly Reece James who was benefiting from Lukaku’s presence.
His movement off the ball has improved so much since his last time in the Premier League. And he was able to score a goal with his brilliant movement to score like a natural poacher from a cross from James.
This is the type of player Lukaku is and will be a huge factor for Chelsea and their quest to challenge for the Premier League title and defend their Champion’s League title. Lukaku has become a complete striker who is capable of dominating in every which way whether it is to slow the game down with his hold-up play or on the counter and move without the ball. If he is able to replicate the performance, he had with Inter Milan then Chelsea will definitely be a force to be reckoned with and be a legitimate title contender.
Lukaku never really had the chance to prove himself at the biggest stage during his first stint at Chelsea. He was used sparingly and was loaned out a few times to get used to the level of the Premier League, once with West Brom where he was fantastic and another with Everton which convinced them to finally make the transfer permanent. He made a name for himself during his time at Everton being the focal point of the attack and scoring goals at will improving on his tally each year and even scoring a career-best 25 goals in the 2016/17 season. That prompted transfer speculation where it seemed like Lukaku was ready to finally take that next step and not only join a big club, but also make a difference. There were rumors of him moving back to Chelsea because Chelsea was in need of a striker at the time and wanted him back and also Manchester United was in the market for a striker as well. He opted to join Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United to get United back on top of the Premier League.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Manchester United was coming off of winning the Europa League in 2017 and Lukaku joined during that summer to take United one step closer to challenge for the title and compete in the Champion’s League. And while he performed admirably, scoring 16 goals and providing 7 assists during his debut campaign with United, Mourinho wasn’t utilizing Lukaku where he can perform at his best. Mourinho’s tactics are based on the counterattack with the ball lobbed over to have a fast transition before the defense can get organized. Lukaku, on the other hand, is at his best back to the goal and holds the ball up so that his teammates can catch up and link up play. As a result, it’ll slow the game down a little bit and potentially allow the defense to set up which Mourinho does not want to happen in his system. Thus, it wasn’t all Lukaku’s fault for underperforming at United because he went into a system where it didn’t suit his play style. Even after a change in manager during his second season at United with Ole Gunnar Solskjær at the helm, Lukaku wasn’t able to perform to the best of his abilities because once again, Solskjær also did not utilize Lukaku to his strengths. So, it was time for a change again.
This time Inter Milan came calling with Antonio Conte convincing Lukaku that he’ll be able to bring the best out of Lukaku with his system. Instead of a lone striker formation that Lukaku was often part of during his English Premier League days, Conte opted to switch his formation from his traditional 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation to 3-5-2 formation. And it worked brilliantly. Having that extra striker to partner up with Lukaku allowed Lukaku to utilize his strengths to the max. While he holds the ball up away from the defender, it’ll sometimes draw another defender to double team which then allows his striking partner, Lautaro Martinez to make runs in behind the defense and create chances for him. It opened up a lot of space for his teammates and be a more complete striker than just a one-dimensional one he was used to during his time in the Premier League. His first season with Inter Milan was a success scoring 23 goals while providing 2 assists helping them to a 2nd place finish. There’s something to note here though, however. He may not directly assist his teammates to a goal, but he did provide plenty of hockey-type assists where he passed it onto one of his teammates and that teammate provided the assist for a goal. That’s the type of player Lukaku was able to be and impact the match that may not show up on the stat sheet. Yes, he scored many goals for the team, but he also influenced the game with his hold-up play, decision-making, and distribution.
His second season is where he became more of a complete striker influencing the game in every which way and imposing his will on the opposition. He scored 24 goals to lead the team while providing 11 assists to help Inter Milan win their first Scudetto since the 2009/10 season where they famously won the treble. But even after winning the league, Inter Milan ran into some financial problems that forced them to sell some of their prominent and key players in order to balance their budget. One player they were forced to sell was Lukaku. With a sizeable fee coming their way from Chelsea, they had no choice but to sell Lukaku and return back to what he started. He had some unfinished business at Chelsea, but this time he returns as a mature and proven player who’ll be a difference-maker for Chelsea.
Lukaku’s role will be similar to what he was used to in Inter Milan. Chelsea will look to utilize his strengths to their advantage especially his ability to hold up play and get his teammates involved which he did a lot during his time at Inter Milan. The system might be different, but his style of play will be relatively the same which can’t be said during his first time at Chelsea and Manchester United. He’ll be asked to hold the ball up and allow his teammates to make runs in behind the defense or stay out wide to provide the width and continue the attack. Even though it’s a 3-4-2-1 system that Thomas Tuchel will be using to maximize Lukaku, Kai Havertz will act as a 2nd striker for Lukaku and make those runs in behind all the while Marcos Alonso and Reece James will provide the width. It’ll benefit two players, especially in this system: Havertz and Lukaku. Havertz performed admirably when he was utilized almost as a shadow striker and being in the box when he was at Leverkusen FC. Lukaku performs best when he has another striker making those runs while he holds up the ball. This will allow both players to utilize and maximize their skillsets and should complement each other well with their style of play.
Lukaku will be tasked to not only score goals but also to get his teammates involved as much as possible. Using his strength, he’ll be able to overpower some of the defenders and create chances for himself. But when that happens, it’ll draw another defender toward him and open up spaces for his teammates. He’ll draw many double teams to one-prevent him from getting the ball or two when he has the ball have him get rid of it as soon as possible. And the reason for double-teaming is because it’s almost impossible to get the ball off of him with just one defender. And that’s exactly what happened during his first match against Arsenal where Chelsea won comfortably 2-0.
Pablo Mari was helpless against Lukaku defending him one-on-one. So, Mikel Arteta schemed it so that Kieran Tierney or Granit Xhaka would double team Lukaku. Unfortunately, it did not work for Arsenal and Arteta as the double team would come late and Lukaku was able to either outmuscle Mari and dribble around him or pass the ball to the open man in space and it was mostly Reece James who was benefiting from Lukaku’s presence.
His movement off the ball has improved so much since his last time in the Premier League. And he was able to score a goal with his brilliant movement to score like a natural poacher from a cross from James.
This is the type of player Lukaku is and will be a huge factor for Chelsea and their quest to challenge for the Premier League title and defend their Champion’s League title. Lukaku has become a complete striker who is capable of dominating in every which way whether it is to slow the game down with his hold-up play or on the counter and move without the ball. If he is able to replicate the performance, he had with Inter Milan then Chelsea will definitely be a force to be reckoned with and be a legitimate title contender.