Ash_G
Full Member
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- Sep 29, 2010
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It's difficult for a coach to keep one of his best players happy while asking him to play in position he doesn't fancy. Rooney as a pure CM (instead of Cleverley for instance) could work but I think it's a risk Moyes won't wanna take. He'd be limiting Rooney's influence too, yesterday, he was playing in a position and way that suits the club so much. He could get back and help out defensively and still have enough freedom to create chances and have goalscoring opportunities.
Yeah I agree, I was more thinking towards the end of the game where he seemed to be to me noticeably deeper than where he was for most the rest of the game, for most of it I'd say he was effectively in the hole, but that last half hour he really dropped to the point where you think if that was a long term tactic than why not just drop clev/giggs and put Kagawa in there, as there's not really much benefit to having one of clev/giggs there if rooney is there too. I thought Rooney's influence as an attacker was limited when he ended as deep as he was.
As you said it would be contingent on him accepting playing there so unlikely to happen but then you never know if it's because the team needs him to do it short term till carricks back he might accept that, part of the problem last season may have been that he was being asked to play there seemingly because we didn't think he was sharp enough/fit enough to play up top.
Either way though I think if clev plays as he did then we won't need Rooney dropping like that, he's better off keeping in the hole than playing too close to the striker, but if the midfielders show more willingness to play the ball foward and execute it well as Clev did, and stay disciplined positionally then Rooney won't need to drop so deep except for where we need to go more defensive.