Koeman: Lukaku not far off the best in Europe

I've heard that the players are knackered after training which is something they weren't used to. I also heard that some of the Man City and RS players are moaning about their tough training routines. Wimps!!

The players who thrive in "pressing" teams are the cross-country runners, Lallana, Henderson, Fernandinho and their ilk. I'm not convinced it can work in the long term in England, but it's possible that I'll be wrong. Not for the first time.

All things considered, it is such a better prospect than letting the players find their own level and style of play, and it makes the passing it around at the back just a bad memory!

Vardy probably presses more than any striker in the league and he didn't tire, but he's a certain type of athlete. Some players can't do it, some won't. Koeman will get those in that can.

A lot of excuses were made for the big fella last week – "fantastic save" they said... My missus would have buried that header.

We need the beast tonight

TV is killing sport; it's becoming more like so-called reality shows... gone are the days when you try and find a telly on a Saturday night to watch a 30-second snipit on the news.

Lazy, offside more than any other Premier League forward, getting back a nonentity. Total contribution to team effort "0"; not a Koeman type player. Harassing opposition players? Wishful thinking... What else? Only scoring is his obvious forte – but this obviously counts for everything!!! Unfortunately another Lineker – no more to say!!!

We are just "renting" him – surely any blue understands this, he's not here for the long road... and our manager definitely knows this???

COYB
We just deserve blood, sweat & E F F O R T always – deserve so much more.

As for improving his finishing, well, let's start by asking him to put his head and body in where it might get hurt and to throw his weight around occasionally. Oh, and ask him to work out with his co-striker who will move to the front post and who will take the back post and when they may vary it.

I'm afraid my thoughts on Romelu vary quite a bit from others. I personally think he is crap and we should replace him with a hard-working team player asap. If you add this conundrum to Barkley's, we are getting close to a nine-man team every week and so we can be beaten by anyone with a bit of organisation. Anyone else you can think of???

I'm of the opinion that high pressing needs several players working together and is therefore better sold/implemented as a team thing rather than just asking individuals to do more although all things have their time and place.

He has no place in a team that is supposed to press. His idea of pressing is to jog over to the defender on the ball allowing him just enough time to pick his pass – in a 'going through the motions' kinda way (see Belgium versus Italy). Rather than sprinting over to the defender, making himself big, anticipating his next pass and actually trying to win the thing.

All talk about this lad is just that – talk. "I'm working hard on this and that"; "I want to play for a top team"; "I had a chat with the manager" – it's all about him. I'm sick and tired of having a player whose only concern is himself.

We would look a far more potent side with a striker who actually moved. He's 5 kg overweight, he sweats after 10 minutes of jogging, he jumps like he has lead in his boots... who does he think he's kidding?

Take off your Denis Stracqualursi shirt for a second, and actually think about that statement.

We've had hard-working centre forwards before. Plenty of them. In fact - pretty much everyone who played under Moyes would fit the bill. Andy Johnson, Marcus Bent etc could run about, pressing defenders all day long.

They were also bang average.

The legendary Bob Latchford scored 0.48 goals a game for Everton.

Lukaku is already at 0.49 a game.

You want to sell an ambitious 23-year-old international with a just shy of 1-in-2 record, and replace him with some badge-beating workhorse?

It's funny that the three players that have faced the most criticism from our own fans over the last year (Lukaku, Barkley, Stones) have also been unquestionably our most talented.

If the Boo Boys get their way, we'll watch them all develop into gems elsewhere, while we cheer on a team of Tom Cleverleys.

And as an aside, all those spouting about getting Bony in last window... I just hope you all saw his "efforts" yesterday. If you think Lukaku is lazy, Dixie's statue would be more effective, and move more, than that lump did against Man Utd. Maybe some people have more knowledge than some posters on here, eh?

I don't know who is more deluded – Lukaku who seems to believe he puts in 100% every game or the fans who seem to think that his apparent lack of effort isn't him – it's the other mugs on the team running round trying to get the ball back after he's shinned it to one of their players.

Anyway – it's international break... I await his next interview.

And I do chuckle that you only post on TW to make derogatory remarks about Lukaku (and fans who are more tolerant of him than you evidently are).

The most divisive player at Everton – means one thing, he can't be anywhere near as good as many try and make him out to be. It also says he probably isn't as bad as the likes of myself make out. I'm good with that. He's a 7/10 player – nothing more; that's about right.