The importance of analytics in football is ever increasing, and yet amid the study of numbers comes ignorance towards one that admittedly looks irrelevant — the one on a player’s shirt.
"I always asked my mother what number, and I used to play with the 10 because my mother's birthday is on Oct. 10, so it's the 10th month of the year," Romelu Lukaku told ESPN. "That's why I played with No. 10. I asked for the number nine because I'm a striker. "Strikers play with No.9. It's a nice number, and I asked the permission of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I want to thank him, as well, for allowing me to wear that number.”
Manchester United’s new number 9, a blockbuster summer arrival, was a statement of intent from Jose Mourinho, with numerous connotations, including some unintended. Last season, United operated with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a similar forward in so much as he was a classic number 9, a pure forward that while possessing other skills had sold himself on goals and his ability to produce them.
Historically, Mourinho has always appreciated this type of forward. Whether it was Diego Costa, Diego Milito, Didier Drogba, or Benni McCarthy, the Portuguese has always been willing to accommodate a traditional number nine that prides goals over anything.
Not all view the forward position via that same definition though. Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and even at times Arsene Wenger have preferred a false 9 at the head of attack. That style of forward is increasing somewhat, and that shift was typified by the demands placed on Sergio Aguero last season. The Argentine is a fantastic goalscorer, but was forced to adapt to Guardiola’s ways and become more creative, amid competition from Gabriel Jesus.
By comparison, Mourinho knew he could never change Ibrahimovic, and nor would he want to. The Swede’s talents are obvious, but he is not someone that will run the channels like Lukaku, or thrive on through balls like the Belgian will.
His tally at 24 is better than some of the very best. 😳
Lukaku will not offer the same quality of link up play, but he will be a better fit for the team when it comes to counter attacks and playing a more direct style. Claims Lukaku is not a big game player also seem weak when you consider Jamie Vardy was the only striker to score more against the top six last season.
The Belgian’s superior finishing rate will also have enticed Mourinho. Lukaku enjoyed a chance conversion rate of 22.72% last season, compared to just under 14.78% for Ibrahimovic (via football whispers). Given United’s conversion rate as a team — of just 13% — was the fourth worst in the Premier League, the chance to find an elite level goal getter was too good to pass up.
That’s why Mourinho opted for Lukaku over Morata. The Spaniard long looked like he was heading to Old Trafford, and would be more of a team player, but his goal record has not come close to Lukaku’s in a straight shoot-out.
Mourinho has rarely been one for delicate interplay, preferring instead to be direct and quick. His first spell at Chelsea was also defined by an ability to win games 1-0, and given the fact Man Utd drew 15 times last season — the most of any team in the Premier League — Mourinho will no doubt hope that Lukaku’s clinical streak can turn some of those draws into wins.
In Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at Old Trafford he raided Arsenal for Robin van Persie. An aggressive move by Sir Alex, it proved a success in part due to Van Persie’s ability to produce in key moments — be it his hat-trick against Southampton, the winner against Liverpool or his freekick in the final minute of the Manchester derby.
It is hoped that Lukaku will bring that same gear shift in the final third this season. Considerably more expensive than Van Persie, but with more time on his side, Lukaku could prove even more influential when you consider how far United were from the chasing pack last year. A bold statement from the club, and an affirmation of their intent to challenge next year, it also serves as an assertion in Mourinho’s style, one he looks unwilling to depart from.
