Lukaku was particularly vocal about the abrupt change in philosophy and atmosphere following the end of the Martinez era. Under the Spaniard, a golden generation enjoyed a prolonged period of dominance and high-scoring victories, highlighted by their historic run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. It is a level of confidence that Lukaku feels has been stripped away in the previous setup, with the stark contrast in dressing room vibe before games appearing to be a major point of contention for the nation’s all-time leading goalscorer.
“Under Roberto Martinez, we would walk into the dressing room before a match and the question was: how many goals are we going to score today? I assure you, that is literally what we used to say,” Lukaku said. “Martinez would tell us where the spaces would open up, and we would win 3-0, 5-0, 8-1. Fast, sharp, just like that. You play like that for five years straight. And then, boom, clean slate.”