Lukaku v Murray: Who did it better?

The two big men up top. Romelu v Glenn. Who did it better? Let’s have a look.

OVERVIEW

	Lukaku	Murray
Appearances	32	38
Minutes Played	2,130	2,512
Matches Started	22	30
Subbed on	10	8
Subbed off	4	14
Distance Run (km)	220.15	294.58
Distance Run per Match	6.88	7.75
Yellow Cards	4	5
Red Cards	0	0
SCORE	3	5

 

Murray started 6 more games than Lukaku, therefore it is no surprise that he has ran further (294.58km) and has a better distance ran per match average (7.75km). Lukaku was brought on more times than Murray and subbed off significantly less, potentially indicating how Jose/Ole and Hughton tended to utilise their big men differently during the season. Lukaku had a marginally better disciplinary record (4 yellow cards to Murrays 5).

 

ATTACKING

	Lukaku	Murray
Goals	12	13
Goals per Match	0.38	0.34
Minutes per Goal	178	194
Shots	55	54
Shots on Target	32	21
Shots off Target	14	23
Shooting Accuracy	69.57	47.73
Goals (inside box)	11	13
Goals (outside box)	1	0
Hit woodwork	2	1
Big chances scored	8	10
Big chances missed	15	6
SCORE	8	4

 

Now we are getting to the good stuff. Murray scored one more than Lukaku in the league with more games played, so no surprise that Lukaku had a slightly better goals per match (0.38) and minutes per goal ratio (178). Romelu also recorded more shots on target (32) and less shots off target (14) seemingly making him more efficient in front of goal. Murray had less than 50% shooting accuracy, but had scored more big chances than Lukaku and missed 9 less despite playing 6 more matches. Both strikers clearly had a few rough games in the season, but also had games where they definitely won matches for their teams.

 

TEAMPLAY

	Lukaku	Murray
Assists	0	1
Big chances created	3	2
Passes	534	606
Pass Completion %	66.29	58.25
Passes forward	115	216
Passes Backward	145	161
Touches	855	978
Through balls	5	0
Crosses	46	8
Dispossessed	46	35
SCORE	4	6

 

Where Murray was clearly more influential in general team play (more passes and touches than Lukaku), Romelu was far more influential offensively speaking, with more through balls (5) and crosses (46) than Murray, who recorded no through balls and 8 crosses, despite playing every game of the season. Yes, this could be explained by playing style, but it also indicates the limitations of Glenn as a striker. As much as Lukaku has been criticised this season, he has been far more dynamic than Murray, more willing to drift out of position and create opportunities for his team.

 

DEFENDING

	Lukaku	Murray
Clean Sheets	4	3
Goals conceded	38	46
Blocks	1	3
Interceptions	2	2
Tackles	8	17
Tackles Won	4	7
Clearances	19	16
Headed Clearances	13	9
Aerial Battles Won	93	175
Own Goals	0	0
Errors leading to Goal	0	0
Penalties Conceded	0	1
SCORE	5	4

 

Murray seemed to contribute to his side defensively more than Lukaku, indicated by the number of tackles (17) and tackles won (7). However, Lukaku has recorded more clearances (19) and headed clearances (13), meaning that he definitely helped his side in tight situations. Murray trumps Lukaku when it came to aerial battles, outscoring Lukaku by a whopping 83.

 

Conclusion: Who did it better?
This one was closer than I expected. Both contributed defensively to their teams and both also contributed to the success of their teams in certain games. Lukaku seemed to be more dynamic than Murray in the season too. However, the devil is in the detail. Lukaku scored one less than Murray despite playing 6 less but was more wasteful when he had big opportunities, missing more and scoring less big chances. This indicates that Lukaku was in a far more superior team offensively, but was unable to be more proficient with the opportunities he had. So as they are pretty much level on a number of things, based on what you expect a striker to do week in week out, big Glenn just about did it better than Romelu did this season.

(Stats courtesy of http://www.premierleague.com)