Hmm... He refused to comment. Said that there was no point as "I can never answer that. When I answer in positive way, it’s maybe not good. When negative, it’s in headlines”
Fair play to him on that and I reckon that's about the most negative thing he's said about Rooney all season. Overall, I think we should just revisit this game after a few days. I don't think it was as bad as some are making it out to be and at the same time, it's not like things are hunky-dory. So, we miss Shaw - who wouldn't? Don't City miss Kompany? Take Gabriel out and Arsenal struggle etc. etc. A replacement / standby / deputy, by definition, is never as good as the starter, so let's move on.
As regards the middle of the park, I think LvG would have wanted Morgan to start, but the player just lost that chance for himself through his performance in midweek. He was pedestrian and paid the price. Carrick offered a more experienced head and I think LvG was hoping we'd hold out against the expected initial Arsenal onslaught.
Another point that I think a lot of folks are missing is chance conversion. Arsenal are legendary for their profligacy. The law of averages does catch up however and yesterday was just their day. 3 chances in the first 20 and all 3 into the back of the net. Some days it goes your way and some days it doesn't. They weren't the easiest either, so fair play to their attackers for making them count.
To summarize, we went 3 down to as near a 20 minute performance that was as near perfect as we're likely to encounter (or Arsenal are likely to offer) over the season. Happens. Move on.
For the record - I got all 11 starters right in the prediction and the only selection I made reluctantly (knowing I'd choose differently, but LvG wouldn't) was Rooney...
