5 Things Everton's Romelu Lukaku Must Do to Take His Game Forward
Romelu Lukaku is yet to hit top form this season.
While he's still returned five goals, enough to rank him as Everton's joint-top scorer, his overall contribution has fluctuated.
Some of his better displays, such as recent showings against Lille and West Ham United, have been punctuated by much poorer games, such as his performance against Sunderland.
It's easy to forget the Belgium international is still only 21. Young players will always be prone to bouts of inconsistency, yet the striker's total goal return is still an impressive 20 Premier League goals in 43 games for the Toffees.
In all competitions, he has 21 goals in 50 games, which is the fifth-best return by any Everton striker since 1970.
In truth, the clinical, pure finishing side of his game is already pretty polished; instead, Lukaku can become more effective and much more influential to his team by developing his all-round game.
Here's a look at some ways in which the striker can push on.
Relentlessly Target That 1st Touch
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A player's first touch is one of the most important attributes in football, especially for a striker.
Immediately after a receiving a pass, a forward is likely to be aggressively closed down and pressed for the ball. A good first touch will buy time and enable potential linkup play in the final third.
Lukaku's touch tends to mimic his overall form. At his best last season—during two spells between September and November and then March and April—his touch was slick, clever and a huge benefit to his team.
During a leaner period around December and January, and at times this season, it's been very heavy, and he's conceded possession far too often.
No player will be able to radically improve a first touch, but Lukaku must do all he can to find better consistency.
Doing so wouldn't necessarily result in him scoring more, but it would improve the team and increase the opportunities to attack.
Keep Possession Better
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Similarly, Lukaku can also improve his ability to retain possession for his team.
While he would be expected to lose the ball more than most Everton players, being a striker, he has done so on 44 occasions this season, nine more than any other team-mate.
For a player as physically dominating as Lukaku is, he loses out to central defenders too frequently. This can be due to a poor decision, a sloppy touch or from being brushed off the ball too easily.
Again, any improvement in this department would benefit the team as a whole and lead to additional chances to attack.
Work with His Attacking Midfielders
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Lukaku's movement is a vastly underrated part of his game.
A lot of this is because Everton's midfielders fail to spot his runs until it's too late.
The likes of Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas are often stuck with their head down while dribbling, and their failure to find Lukaku results in many clever moves not gaining exposure.
All of these players have the explosive capabilities to win games on their own, and each must spend endless hours on the training ground, anticipating phases of play and working out ways to combine.
Everton often leave men up the field, looking for a counter-attack. Any time there is a three-on-three or even a three-on-four, these players should instinctively know where each will run through rigorous preparation.
The better they combine, the more chances they will create.
Improve His Heading
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Lukaku's heading is by no means a weakness, but it's an obvious area in which he can improve.
While he's accomplished in the air, Lukaku's not yet imposing or able to pose a constant threat to opposing defences.
Just three of his 20 Premier League goals have come from a header, and he's won only 14 of 47 aerial duels this season.
Forwards generally struggle to win more than 50 per cent of aerial duels, but under 33 per cent is poor for a striker of Lukaku's build.
This is a department in which he can find improvement as he develops.
Shadow Samuel Eto'o
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Finally, manager Roberto Martinez hit the jackpot when signing Samuel Eto'o.
Having splashed out on Lukaku, a young striker with obvious ability but even more potential, the Catalan maximised the chances of that potential being reached.
At his peak, Eto'o was one of the top strikers in world football, and at 33, the veteran will have a catalogue of experience to pass on.
Lukaku now has the ideal mentor to train with and play alongside. The more he studies Eto'o, the more his own game will progress.
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