Cristiano ‘the problem’ Ronaldo has only gone and scored a hat-trick for Manchester United! How much of a problem can he be when he’s delivering performances as he did against Tottenham Hotspur? He’s faced his critics had a torrid midseason run, but now he’s once again proving that his age is not a hindrance. He was never the problem, clearly, and that makes me wonder if Romelu Lukaku was ever Chelsea’s?
For a while now, fans have concluded that Lukaku may be the problem for the Blues’ decline in quality in front of goal, but all it takes is for the Belgian to pull half the performances that Ronaldo did, to win back over the fans.
I see Lukaku as a necessity at the moment. Not just because of Chelsea's current uncertain situation, but because he can pull a performance out of nowhere. Like Ronaldo, he has had his days to forget. He has not been as successful as many expected upon his arrival from December till now.
Everyone has their drop-off periods, including the Portuguese GOAT himself. It's down to the fans to acknowledge the situation, and it's up to the player to win them back over. The unfortunate story behind the demise of Lukaku's relationship with the fans will haunt him forever, but he can fix it. In fact, he almost did.
The Carabao Cup final was the perfect opportunity. A big game against big opposition. The Belgian was robbed of his excellent strike against Liverpool due to a sketchy offside call. I can't hello but wonder, if his goal had stood, would that have been enough for fans' heads to turn? Winning is one way to regain the favour of the fans. Scoring the winning goal in a final is an incredible plus.
After being hailed as 'the problem' by Manchester United fans, rival fans, and pundits, Ronaldo overcame the outrageous shouts. He reminded the world of exactly who he is and why he wins trophies everywhere he goes. Now, I'm not saying Lukaku is of GOAT status, like Ronaldo. But I am 100% sure that he can adopt that mentality.
He’s done so with Inter Milan for two straight seasons. There is a problem here, but it’s not all Lukaku. He’s a proven goalscorer in the Italian league, just like Timo Werner was a proven goal scorer in the Bundesliga. There are so many different aspects to football beyond what we see on the pitch. It could make or break a player.
I hope Lukaku is ready to pick up all the pieces and fix the issues in Chelsea’s attack. There is almost no chance of the Belgian leaving Stamford Bridge by the end of the season, so we will need to find a solution to the toxic relationship that has been built.
If he wants to go down as one of the greatest strikers of all time, Ronaldo has shown him how.
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