thanks mate what would be the point yes we have been bad but to blame it all on 1 person is mad as **** its a team game after all its like roo playes or not does every 1 eles forget how to play but we will see i see your lot played well again look forword to see pool on motd
The thing is it really has been pretty much all on Rooney. For a start he's too slow. And a massive factor of that is that he can't control a ball anymore for whatever reason. It's almost as if he's playing on ice and when he touches the ball it skids 5 yards away from him. It's been slowly getting worse for the last couple of years. Then you have the fact he almost never uses his left foot anymore. He always tries to let the ball run further onto his right. By which time hes lost the opportunity to wrong foot the defender; or too slow to keep up with the ball after letting it run further onto his right; or his poor first touch gives the ball away.
Rooney in his prime wouldn't even hesitate to take a first touch with his left and wrong foot the defender and even take a player on down the left side. He's even carried it on and finished with his left, or got the space to get it to his right and finish. That part of his game is non existent now and has been for quite a while.
Also Rooney of old would be playing balls like pogba did to zlatan over the top. He had that vision to make a pass like that. Now all he does in that position is immediately play it out wide, or linger on the ball and try to play a rushed pass when he gets closed down and ***** it up. But he's hardly in that position anymore to begin with. Too busy near the half way line getting the ball and playing the long diagonal ball out wide.
Teams have clicked on to that. If Rooney gets the ball around the half way line, most of the time he will play the long diagonal ball to the other side of the pitch. The full backs are now positioning themselves expecting that ball. Much like you knew Gerrard was going to look for that pass first when he got the ball.
He's lost his unpredictability. And that was what made him such a good player. He was capable of picking out an outrageous pass or just belting a ball when u least expect it. Now it's almost the same predictable **** every game. Ball gets played in to him, poor first touch then too slow to beat the player to it, losing possession. Tries to play a ball through and massively over hits it because he's got no touch whatsoever and plays like he's got concrete boots on. Wanders around the half way line to get the ball in acres of space (so he won't lose it when he takes his first touch), then plays a long diagonal ball which full backs are now expecting. Taking corners and hitting the first man. He's actually getting on nani territory now for **** corners (apart from that one good season Nani had taking them).
Rooney has become so predictable, the only time hes done something "out of the norm" from his recent game, was when he actually got the ball and ran at the defender against hull taking him on and setting up rashford. That was Rooney of old. Reverted back to same old **** in the Derby.
Look at the play today between pogba, mata and Zlatan. Pogba into mata, good first touch from mata to get the ball under control. Pogba surges forward and gets the ball back from mata. Pogba plays a ball over the top to zlatan catching out the defense. Good chance created. Change mata for Rooney. Pogba plays the ball into Rooney. Rooney takes a touch and ball goes 5 yards away. Loses the ball. Rooney runs back to midfield. We win the ball back. Rooney gets the ball on the half way line. Plays the predictable long diagonal which is easily read. Possession lost. Rooney plays that ball because there is nobody in the hole to pass to. Why not? Because Rooney should ******* be there.
I've gone on enough. Could go on all day. Simple fact is, if there was ever a good example of what is possible without Rooney, look at mata and Pogba's performance today. Even Herrera. 3 players that can actually control a ball and play a pass ripping a team apart. What happened when Rooney came on? *****. It was that bad my friend didn't even realise he was brought on when we was talking after the game.
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