Playing Lukaku

[Curuedhel]

So because of all the hype surrounding him, I bought Lukaku at the start of my Fulham game.

Throughout the first season he was pretty woeful. He scored 9 goals and 4 assists in 30 appearances and had an average rating of around 7.11 for the season, which I suppose is okay, but not exactly world class.

I thought maybe it was just because he was settling in. At the start of the second season, though, he's even worse. He's now struggling to even make a 6.0 rating and doesn't even look close to scoring. I'm having to sub him off in every game which makes it difficult for me to keep him in the first team.

It doesn't seem to make a difference whether I play him as the deeper forward or the advanced forward in my 4-4-2, he just sucks.

Does he need some kind of special setup to get the best out of him? Because this really wasn't what I was expecting from all the raving about him I see on the forums.

[Hog]

I play him at the tip of my 4231 - role complete f support. RwB edited to mixed, long shots rarely, TTB mixed. So far has 6 in 9 in Bundesliga not bad for a 17 year old.

[chaddy101]

What are his instructions? Most importantly his mentality?

Players like Lukaku are better used with reduced mentality IMO as they do not posess the pace to play on the shoulder of the defence and bring themselves into one on one situations very often.

I often find that this leads to the striker snatching at half chances wheras a reduced mentality will mean they drop deeper and recieve more support from the flanks and pick their chances more wisely.

[Braumiller]

I play a modified 4231 (only modification is my 2 MCs are actually a DM and a MC), with Lukaku in a Target Man (attack) role.

All of my team and player settings are down with the Tactic Creator and no tweaks. Counter mentality, rigid philosophy.

First season with my Leicester side (3rd season of my 11.3 game - 2 year in the Prem) and he scored ~18 in 35 Prem games. About to start my 4th season, with improved supply lines for him