In one unified motion the entire country winced as Hugo Rodallega came crashing down on top of Wayne Rooney. The United talisman gingerly sprang to his feet, sporting a deep cut as though he had just discovered the perils of playing footsie with barbed wire. Despite being wrapped in cotton wool and hastily carted off to hospital, news filtered through that Rooney would be sidelined for the foreseeable future, dealing a huge blow to both club and country.
However, Rooney has failed to start the new campaign in the same fashion that saw him eclipsed only by new team-mate Robin van Persie in last season’s goalscoring charts. In the opening fixture against Everton, Rooney struggled to cope with the high tempo and physical dominance of Moyes’ men, mustering just two measly shots on target. It’s safe to say his performance was hardly worthy of an international call-up.
The fallout from the European Championships has offered few positives to grace the start of Roy Hodgson’s reign as England manager. In the eyes of many the team looked far more effective and organised without their superstar striker, who himself failed to impose himself in either of his two appearances. Perhaps the escalating pressure was once again too much for a man expected to be the architect for England’s attack. Or maybe it’s time both Hodgson and Sir Alex Ferguson developed a winning formula that didn’t rely solely on the striker’s unique talents.
Without Rooney England will hopefully abandon any attempt to replicate Spain’s ‘tippy tappy’ philosophy and instead concentrate on the disciplined, counter-attacking tactics that allowed Hodgson to turn Fulham and West Brom into formidable identities. When Rooney leads the line he becomes easily frustrated and drops deep in search of the ball, leaving the formation resembling the ‘False 9’ mantra of Spain, which England among others struggle to succeed with.
Unfortunately Hodgson’s reluctance to call-up a replacement in the wake of the hamstring injury suffered by Andy Carroll means no new faces will decorate the frontline. However, he does have three very different options at his disposal in the form of Danny Welbeck, Jermain Defoe and Daniel Sturridge while some pundits are suggesting that Theo Walcott could be handed his belated opportunity to shine up front. I personally hope England adopt Swansea’s 4-3-3 formation, where the two supporting wingers cut inside to form a front three, although this may prove fruitless without Ashley Young and Adam Johnson in the squad.
Outside of the England camp, Robin van Persie will flourish as the sole figure at the point of United’s attacking line-up. The Dutchman was ruthless against Southampton – aside from his appalling penalty – and should thrive on the service of the swarm of creative midfielders around him. There is also an opportunity for Welbeck and Javier Hernandez to emerge from the shadows and provide Ferguson with a selection headache upon Rooney’s return.
It’s fairly evident that Rooney has evolved as both a person and player over recent years. We no longer see the tenacious displays of a teenager with a burning desire to impress and have instead been treated to a more composed – yet equally effective – version of the striker. Last season saw Ferguson employ Rooney in the heart of midfield in amongst his injury crisis, which the player has indentified as possible permanent role in the future.
“I get more of the ball, I’m involved loads and, after one game, I even think about playing there permanently, but only later in my career.
“Once I feel that I haven’t got the sharpness needed to get away from defenders, I’ll probably drop back into midfield for a couple of seasons so I can still influence the game.” (Manchester Evening News)
Despite his impressive record in front of goal, I have always considered the reliance on Rooney for goals as somewhat harsh. His overall game encompasses far more than simply ‘sticking the ball in the back of net’, especially as he perhaps doesn’t possess the ruthless clinical attributes of former United greats Andy Cole or Ruud van Nistelrooy. With Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and indeed Ryan Giggs entering the twilight of their career, a move into midfield could be the answer to prolonging Rooney’s stay at the top.
In spite of this article’s rather critical nature of ‘Wazza’, there is no questioning his status a member of the world’s elite players. The recent speculation regarding his future in Manchester strikes me as bizarre, especially considering the efforts the club made to retain his services just two years ago. With Rooney in your side, anything is possible and regardless of his temperamental character, it’s a trait money simply cannot buy.
I only hope that after a few punishing hours in the gym, Rooney will emerge flexing a new lean physique similar to the transformation we’ve seen with Carlos Tevez, although perhaps don’t mention that name to Fergie.
Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I am getting far too excited about this Football Manager 2013 press conference.
