Everton 2014-15 Season Review: Romelu Lukaku

Player: Romelu Lukaku #10

Games Played: 48; Games Started: 41; Goals: 20; Assists: 7; Shots: 132; Fouls: 41; Fouls Suffered: 29; Yellow Cards: 5; Red Cards: 0

Introduction

Romelu Lukaku was fresh off of a successful loan spell with Everton that saw the Belgian striker net 16 goals in 2013-14. Instead of trying to break through with the highly talented Chelsea first-team that had just added Diego Costa, Lukaku sought a switch to Everton for a club-record fee of £28 million. While Lukaku was very good for large portions of the season, he left a lot to be desired in the minds of some supporters. Whether it was playing in the world cup this summer, or having other teams learn how to contain him, Lukaku seemed to be less effective this season and this, along with his price tag led to some complaints among fans.

What He Did Well

Lukaku was far and above the best offensive player for Everton this season. He scored more goals than any other Everton player in the Premier League and in the Europa League. In the latter competition he was tied for the Golden Boot despite Everton getting knocked out of the competition in the Round of 16. Additionally he broke the Everton record for most goals scored in Europe.

In the Premier League, he was also impressive. He may not have equaled his tally from last year, but he was still able to find the back of the net pretty regularly and was clearly the best striker option week in and week out. His ability to run behind defenders or take them off the dribble makes him one of the most dangerous attacking players in England and at 22 years-old will likely only get better from here.

What He Could Have Done Better

One of the biggest complaints with Lukaku this season was his consistency. Perhaps it was due to playing in the Europa League, but Lukaku was not as consistent as many would have liked in league games. There were chunks of the season were Lukaku seemed to disappear, having little effect on the game, let alone on the score sheet. Though he never went more than four games without registering a goal or assist, some would have liked him to score a little more given the record amount of money that was spent to bring him in.

One thing that most Evertonians can agree on is Lukaku's poor touch. WhoScored keeps a stat based on "Bad Control per Game" and Lukaku was the team leader in this stat by a long shot with 2 bad touches per game. This is not a stat that he should be ranking high in given the fact that he was expected to hold up the ball and the team surged forward. While he is undoubtedly great at taking players on and running in behind the defense, when the game slows down a bit Lukaku tends to struggle.

Voting

What do you think of Romelu Lukaku's season?

In the poll below, give the Belgian Striker a grade from A+ to F, with 'A+' being absolutely remarkable, 'C' being average, and 'F' being completely unacceptable.

Also, add your comments below!