That's the Lukaku I Know

Photocredit: skysports.com

Inter got off to a 2-0 lead at Dortmund in the Champions League yesterday in what was a crunch clash to see who could finish in this group alongside Barca, who appeared very disinterested in their own match on the day. Inter started off great with Martinez and Vecino netting goals. But where was Romelu Lukaku? I thought he was brought in just for this occasion. No?

Romelu Lukaku has 9 goals in 11 Serie A matches. On the face of it, that appears excellent. After all, he only managed 12 in 32 in the premier league last season. But if you look a little deeper you will notice a different story. He doesn't have a single Champions League Goal in 3 matches. He sat out the fourth with an injury. In Serie A, he hasn't scored when they played Juventus or Lazio (The 1st and 4th placed teams). For Belgium, he's only played San Marino and Scotland so you have to take his goals with a grain of salt. The point is, he's absent on the biggest occasions. He still hasn't proven that not to be the case. He feeds on weaker opposition but can't actually get it done when he is needed most. He didn't want to hear this from Manchester United and they probably told him he would be a valuable asset when facing the likes of Bournemouth. You can't help but wonder if he had stayed at United for this season, would he have scored the one goal they needed against lower half teams when they had to settle for a loss or draw instead? But he is proving once and for all at Inter that he doesn't have it in him to come up big on the biggest stage. And that's why you have to wonder will Belgium be able to win so long as he is their number 9?