Polite was to say he has lost pace to be a striker. Lucky for him he's a very good all round footballer and can playmake a bit.
Why does every Manager play Rooney in Midfield?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
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Does my head in, played upfront and he would be looking at being around about top prem scorer every season, can you imagine if we sold him to chelsea?
And Rooney is the answer? He's been consistently average(as a midfielder) for quite some time now.
Obviously Rooney is not the answer.
If LVG's long term plan is to play Rooney in midfield then I'm worried. He can get away with it against cannon fodder like Leicester at home, but will be found out against top teams.
Then maybe that is what it will take for LvG to see sense.
He can play in midfield but not surprisingly will not be very consistent and given the nature of his game will give away possession. He was our best player in the 2nd half against City for instance.
He likes to run a lot.
Then we're left with a problem...a captain without a position.
Well yes, it would be awkward. He does have a position it is a forward.
I'd have him upfront, but apparently LVG isn't a fan. So God knows where that leaves us.
Why does he have to do this, move players into positions they are really suited, just so he can massage his own ego? That he knew all along that Wayne was a midfielder and previous managers were idiots.
Jack of all trades but master at none.
The really depressing thing is we had £92 million worth of midfielders sat on the bench just to accomadate Rooney. Its mental.
It is? Ridiculous situation. Just thinking, if he brings another lot of midfielders in the summer, what will happen to Rooney? Herrera might not moan, but other bigger more expensive player would expect to play all the time. They would not be happy playing second fiddle to a Wayne Rooney.
Because he can still score a whole bunch of goals whilst putting in a decent/good performance.
He could, but he isn't.
Because we have strikers that are better or at least at his level, he is driven and tactically disciplined, can attack and defend and also has a good range of passing.
The way the strikers until today have been playing, I wouldn't way they are better than Wayne, their reputations might be, but not in reality.
In 09/10 he showed that killer instinct as a striker to make sure he's in the box awaiting for any chance or loose ball. He's lost that now because his habit is to follow the ball essentially. If the ball is in our half, Rooney goes there. By the halfway line? Rooney's there. By the corner flag? Rooney's there. He doesn't hold his position so we don't have a focal point up front. Truth be told he hasn't the ability of an Aguero or Suarez to give freedom to do what he wants in terms of dribbling, making defenders work hard. His qualities are more rounded therefore he is put in an area where his style is most influential.
That said I think Rooney can still be a top striker again. He's got a lot of quality. However in order for this he has to be made the main man and that will only happen if RVP and Falcao go. I think Rooney takes his forward responsibilities lightly as some matches go by without him having a meaningful opportunity. The two mentioned thrive on service but they will make the runs still. Rooney doesn't do that enough perhaps because with those two he feels the need to hold back. He should score more goals than he does and unlike RvP and Falcao it's not that he's fluffing his lines. He doesn't give himself the chance to get more goals and frankly he should be aiming for at least 20 goals a season.
That said I think Rooney can still be a top striker again. He's got a lot of quality. However in order for this he has to be made the main man and that will only happen if RVP and Falcao go. I think Rooney takes his forward responsibilities lightly as some matches go by without him having a meaningful opportunity. The two mentioned thrive on service but they will make the runs still. Rooney doesn't do that enough perhaps because with those two he feels the need to hold back. He should score more goals than he does and unlike RvP and Falcao it's not that he's fluffing his lines. He doesn't give himself the chance to get more goals and frankly he should be aiming for at least 20 goals a season.
Personally I find this a bit of a myth. Rooney has all the right ingredients. Even his first touch which isn't the best in midfield seems to be brilliant. He is a natural goal scorer.
So all those that say it is because we lack a top quality CM, where does Rooney go if we get one? To the bench? Because van Gaal has said his captain will always play.
I don't agree with this.
A combination of Carrick, Blind, Fellaini, Herrera, Mata or Di Maria is perfectly adequate.
Me too! His litany of howlers just go on and on. Who did he think he was buying a top class striker that won the team the league? Moronic.
He played in a more advanced role in that game. They played 4-2-2-1 after the red card with Rooney on the left of the latter 2. I think he suits that role quite well actually.
To respond to the OP, some of Rooney's best attributes are his workrate, tackling and ability to track back. They are completely nullified if he plays up front. It's about making best use of his talents. He's a quality finisher but he doesn't have the movement, pace or touch of the really elite strikers. His biggest issue in midfield is that he struggles to get forward at the right times (like Lampard does so well).
United do lack an "all rounder" in midfield. They have holding midfield players and smaller creative players (and Fellaini). I believe Van Gaal likes his athleticism and work rate in that role. He has most of the attributes but I fear he lacks the intelligence.
For some sick reason, hope old Roy decides to do it now for like no reason whatsoever other than being sadistic....something like
Chambers-Cahill-Stones-Shaw
Rooney
Wilshere-Barkley
Sterling
Kane-Sturridge
Won't be long until he's into LVG's back three, probably once Strootman, Reus and Pogba are brought in on deadline day.
Chambers-Cahill-Stones-Shaw
Rooney
Wilshere-Barkley
Sterling
Kane-Sturridge
Won't be long until he's into LVG's back three, probably once Strootman, Reus and Pogba are brought in on deadline day.
well, first of all, i don't think moyes played rooney in midfield. he kept playing rooney upfront and let him fight with rvp.
secondly, obviously both fergie and van gaal are not good enough. they don't see what all of us here see that rooney is such a prolific striker who is indispensible. he alone can win us everything in a single hand.
i like the topic of this thread
secondly, obviously both fergie and van gaal are not good enough. they don't see what all of us here see that rooney is such a prolific striker who is indispensible. he alone can win us everything in a single hand.
i like the topic of this thread
I don't think Fergie knew he was retiring when he bought Kagawa and Van Persie, so I'm fairly certain we might have sold Rooney had Fergie no retired. There certainly has been various examples of Ferguson selling supposed star players as their levels were perceived to have dropped.
Another reason would be that Fergie would have played Rooney in midfield anyway. That option was talked about for years by Fergie and various other United players, ex-players and coaches.
Rooney does a decent job in midfield to be fair. Not the most natural centre midfielder, and those cross field passes are annoying but he works hard, and does okay when he keeps it simple. I just think Van Gaal doesn't fancy Rooney as a striker for some reason.
Because its the only way they can shoe horn RvP and Falcao into the lineup.
This is it really.
The sad thing is that midfield is his worst position, individually speaking. As a team though, it just about works.
Seems to be the tune of the caf these days.
I think the goal vs Arsenal at the Emirates just shows he's quicker than RVP and Falcao so pace isn't it the issue IMHO. I think it's because we have too many strikers and the fact that he is the captain of the club makes it compulsory to start him (somewhere).
His first touch is average for a top player, whether he plays in midfield or up top. Hernandez is also a natural goal scorer. Does not mean he is good enough or it benefits the team to be leading the line at United.
The reason why Fergie bought Saha, Tevez, Berbatov, Hernandez Van Persie and play them as the furthest forward is because they may offer something different that Rooney does not have, as well as being good goal scorers. i.e. pace, technical ability ect.
This
- people calling rooney a 8/10 midfielder! At his best there he's a 6.5 max. He'll score from CM ala Lampard but his passing game and awareness/ball retention/protection is very loose. It's managers trying to fit in their stars all at once that is the problem. Wit Fergie it was a last resort - it was him or Anderson.I think his best position is attacking midfielder, a nr 10 in 4-3-3 or in 4-4-2 the second centre forward who is linking the midfield to the most forward striker. With his vision and skills, he needs to have the ball a lot, he needs to run and could well do without the back to goal battles and jumps, he needs to run in the box, not already stand there, and he should shoot from 15-20 yards, not be poaching on the goal line.
In the past Van Gaal played with Bergkamp and later Litmanen in that position, from where they often scored about 25 goals, and more than the centre forward. The assumption that a player who's good at scoring goals should play as a centre forward just isn't making sense.
In the past Van Gaal played with Bergkamp and later Litmanen in that position, from where they often scored about 25 goals, and more than the centre forward. The assumption that a player who's good at scoring goals should play as a centre forward just isn't making sense.
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Put like that it's just ridiculous.
He has an incredible passing range, comfortable in possession, energetic, threat from long range and is fantastic at arriving into the box, and obviously clinical when he gets there too. I think it's blatantly obvious why he's being moulded into a midfielder, coupled with the fact he's getting to the stage in his career where he'll have to look at adapting his game as he gets older.
Rooney will still be playing at a top standard well into his 30s as a midfielder, I don't think that'd be the case if he was upfront. Give him license to get forward in a 433 and he'll be just as suited in my opinion.
Rooney will still be playing at a top standard well into his 30s as a midfielder, I don't think that'd be the case if he was upfront. Give him license to get forward in a 433 and he'll be just as suited in my opinion.
well, after all the jokes, i owe an answer here though it could have been provided already:
team balance.
an also answer to those who wonder why diMaria to play upfront while wazza to play deep
team balance.
an also answer to those who wonder why diMaria to play upfront while wazza to play deep
I think he was brilliant the one season that played up top (2009-10.) For some reason, he hasn't really played there since.