Destroying every anti-Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea argument in one swoop
By Travis Tyler
He has a bad first touch and bad technique!
It’s tricky to figure out exactly where this originates. Is it because Lukaku is a big guy and big players (especially strikers) are seen as physical monsters rather than technical ones? Is it something more nefarious? Is it focusing too much on his last season at Manchester United and ignoring literally the rest of his career?
Regardless, anyone saying Lukaku has a bad first touch or a bad technique probably hasn’t seen him play since he left United. Not that he was ever nearly as bad as people say (who ever is?), but Antonio Conte went out of his way to do something truly radical: coach Lukaku to be better.
For months after arriving at Inter, Lukaku was only allowed to play with his back to goal. Over and over, he was drilled to hold defenders off while making solid touches to teammates. And, lo and behold, coaching works. Lukaku’s technique improved immensely over the past two seasons.
But, again, it’s worth mentioning it was never as bad as advertised. In the 2018 World Cup, Lukaku was used almost like an inside forward in a 3-4-2-1 rather than an out and out striker. Roberto Martinez did this because he could trust Lukaku’s ability to find space and dribble through opposition when he received the ball. None of that is possible for a player with a poor touch and technique.
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Serie A is easy that’s why he looks good!
The Premier League has had a renaissance as of late, but even when English teams were struggling to get past the Champions League round of 16, there was the narrative that it was the toughest league in the world. Only the creme de la creme can play in the Premier League well.
Which, of course, isn’t really true. Obviously there is a big difference between the Premier League and the Eredivisie, but the difference between the big four/five leagues is negligible. The main thing that separates these leagues is their differences, not their difficulty.
The Premier League is difficult because teams from the top to the bottom go full throttle. Serie A is different because there is so much more focus on structure throughout. A reason some believe that Serie A players struggle in the Premier League is because they lose a lot of that structure in the transition.
But, perhaps more than anything else, is the fit of the club. Mohamed Salah was not a good Chelsea player. He had been great in Serie A and was great when he returned there. Liverpool decided to give him a second chance in the Premier League and he became one of the league’s best players almost overnight. The setup at Liverpool with Jurgen Klopp allowed Salah to succeed when Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea couldn’t do the same.
So, more than anything, it’s not about the league the player is coming from, it’s about the environment they are in and the environment they are going to. For Lukaku, West Brom and Everton were good environments. Manchester United was until Mourinho was sacked. Inter Milan was a good environment for Lukaku throughout.
Basically, if you trust Tuchel as a coach, Lukaku’s ability from Inter will translate well. Lukaku didn’t “get good” because the league he was playing in was easier, he got better (because he was already good) because of the right environment.