What have we learnt from every Romelu Lukaku key touch for Chelsea?

Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

A new week, a new challenge for Lukaku. The Chelsea man is up against Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk—two of the best centerbacks in the league—and an alteration in his approach is quite visible. Once again, this proves that there are more facets to the Belgian’s game than just using his physique as a barrier and a battering ram.

In the first half against the Reds, the forward constantly separates himself from the Liverpool pair, picks the ball up on the turn and charges forward with Mount and Havertz in support. The Chelsea forwards respond by adjusting their movement; instead of staying deep to receive lay-offs from Lukaku, they drift wide and try to run in behind the defense. A similar situation unfolds several times in the half.

13′: Lukaku has distanced himself from Liverpool’s centerback pairing—he can’t face Mari each week, after all! He comes deep to receive the ball, turns around and runs toward the opposition goal before overhitting a pass to Mount. A decent attacking transition for Chelsea.

34′: Lukaku drops deep again, but this time, Matip follows him. Nevertheless, the striker receives a pass into his feet, pivots away from the defender, taking him out of the equation completely. Lukaku’s actions create a three-v-three opportunity for Chelsea in attack with Liverpool on the retreat. He ignores Havertz’s run and plays the pass to Mount instead, whose subsequent shot is narrowly wide.

Unfortunately for Chelsea and Lukaku, the equation changes just before the interval. Referee Anthony Taylor shows a red card to James for handball on the goal line, and Liverpool equalizes from the resulting spot-kick.

Lukaku is the sole Chelsea attacker throughout the second half. Havertz is substituted during the break and Mount retreats into the midfield as Tuchel looks to counter the disadvantage. As a result, attacking opportunities for the Belgian are rare. Nevertheless, throughout the half, the Blues use Lukaku as a means to escape opposition pressure. The approach highlights Lukaku’s usefulness as a target man in such difficult situations. The 28-year-old is a constant target for passes out of defense and from the goalkeeper, and his touches often help the team retain possession.

Once again, the verticality of Chelsea’s play is evident. The ball is played through the lines and into the feet of the player, who either holds it up or lays it into the path of a teammate in support. Chelsea uses the vertical approach to bypass Liverpool’s press, but on occasions, the same approach is used to create a quick opportunity.

75′: Edouard Mendy finds Lukaku with a long goal kick, and the forward lays it into the path of his teammate with a simple touch. A repetitive move late into the game.

84′: A familiar situation; Lukaku receives the ball backed into a defender, holds it well and plays it into the path of Kovacic, who has run forward from deep. An opportunity out of nothing for Chelsea.

A resilient Chelsea walks away from Anfield with a point in the bag, despite playing the entirety of the second half with a man less. Lukaku doesn’t add to his goal tally; while his numbers go down across the board, he celebrates with his teammates at full-time as if they had just won the match.

To sum it up, apart from adding an obvious goal threat, Lukaku also seems to have made Chelsea more vertical. The team looked to convert defense into attack through swift and direct actions, with the Belgian acting as the lynchpin. Moreover, he also provides the Blues with a great option to escape opposition pressure—as was evident against Liverpool. These are early days, but Lukaku looks like a great addition to the Chelsea team, unsurprisingly.

What have you made of Lukaku thus far? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!