Craig spoke about Romelu's time at Inter Milan and his return to the club. There is a time and a place for this. Romelu Lukaku went back to Inter Milan on loan on Wednesday after a disappointing spell in England. One of the best strikers of his generation but has struggled with form at times. After scoring 41 goals in 98 games for Anderlecht, the teenager earned himself a 20 million euro move toChelsea. He didn't score a single goal in 15 games and spent time on loan at West Brom andEverton. His 71 goals in 133 games over the next three years made him one of the best strikers in the premier league. He scored 42 goals in 96 games for Manchester United, the same amount of goals he scored at Anderlecht. In his 216th game, he became the fifth- youngest player to score 100 goals in the premier league, but he was unable to convince managers to keep him. An impressive 64 goals in 95 games saw his rediscover his form once more, helping Inter to win the Scudetto, but he said it was the chance of a lifetime to return to Stamford Bridge for a club-record. He scored 15 goals in 44 games in his first season back, but it wasn't good enough. Inter went back on loan. There are question marks over his form and ability to settle after a career in which he has scored over 260 goals. He was different over the last three years. On the U.S. only, you can stream the daily edition of ESPN FC.
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| Year | Games | Touches | Pass% | Chance | Ast | xA | Goal | xG | Shot | SOG | Aerial% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 44 | 1,556 | 71% | 63 | 11 | 6.38 | 30 | 30.02 | 125 | 63 | 43% |
| 2019-20 | 51 | 1,671 | 64% | 70 | 6 | 4.31 | 34 | 27.56 | 139 | 69 | 50% |
There are two things jumping out.
The heatmap shows which players kick off.
The deeper he went in Italy, the more touches and ability he had to influence things.
The forward was able to put a goal away by getting into the box. There are goals inside the six yard box.
| Year | Games | Touches | Pass% | Chance | Ast | xA | Goal | xG | Shot | SOG | Aerial% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 44 | 894 | 75% | 50 | 0 | 3.48 | 15 | 14.82 | 81 | 32 | 48% |
It's probably the best way to sum up his issues at CHELSEA.
I have been physically fine after two years in Italy, where I worked at Inter with trainers and nutrition experts. "This is normal, but I'm not happy with the situation," he said. I have to keep working and be a professional, I think the coach has decided to play with another system. I must not give up because I am a worker.
The strikers was benched, fined and apologized for the controversy created by the interview, but it's hard to argue with the stat.
The Belgian was not able to get on the ball and was expected to be more effective in the box.
While his xG was increased, his impact on chances, goals and assists was not.
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