He's both, as evidenced by the stats Smashed posted. Most of those have come with him playing deeper.
Wayne Rooney | 2012-14 Performances
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He's both, as evidenced by the stats Smashed posted. Most of those have come with him playing deeper.
4 assists, and still not man of the match. It tells you two things - Giggs was excellent, and that Rooney is too. Rooney's one of the few players in the world who can get 4 assists on a night where he barely got out of 2nd gear. He's our talisman, having him on the pitch raises the performances of everyone around him. Hope he keeps this form up.
He's making it pretty hard for us not to offer him a new deal.
Nah, I couldn't give a flying about the stats either. He's a productive #10 in a set up built around cut backs and his goals. But, he's a striker and one of the very best in the game. An attacking midfielder or a #10 he isn't. Not consistent enough on the ball throughout a game and lacks the subtlety required to play the role properly. A striker and nothing else, for me.
Aye, and it was the combination that SAF had in mind before RVP became available. The two of them look lethal together.
The stats were just a way of indicating how well he's played all season in a deeper role.
You said he was a 9 'as evidenced by today', so I'm saying he's also a 10 as evidenced by the outstanding season he's had playing deeper. Ignore the stats if they're not your thing and just think about the games. He's been brilliant all season.
He's clearly world class in both roles IMO
The most important Manchester United player without question. Another masterclass tonight in Germany, reminiscent of his display in the semi-final against Schalke in Gelsenkirchen. One of the true star performers in the Champions League over the past several years.
Astonishing that so many fans wanted him to leave in the summer. A player of this quality must be retained at whatever the cost.
Astonishing that so many fans wanted him to leave in the summer. A player of this quality must be retained at whatever the cost.
I know they've barely played together in this kind of setup, but am I wrong in saying that everytime Rooney and Kagawa played together with Rooney as a striker and Kagawa as a #10 we've looked absolutely fantastic in attack? Granted it's only been on a couple of occasions but I can't remember a single one of those where I wasn't genuinely impressed with their combination.
Oh and, anyone still have any doubts over who our best player is? Keep in mind last season was an anomaly...just give him the contract, sign him up and let's not speak of his possible departure ever again (or atleast till he's way, way past 30)
Oh and, anyone still have any doubts over who our best player is? Keep in mind last season was an anomaly...just give him the contract, sign him up and let's not speak of his possible departure ever again (or atleast till he's way, way past 30)
Rooney and Kagawa do link very well through the centre. It actually surprises me that they have such a good combination with so little game time (yeah, yeah, yeah that whole training thing). Kagawa was a goal scorer back in Germany too, so if he can get back to his best it'll be even more lethal as Kagawa can push up higher when Rooney comes deep.
I was there in Germany that night, & there are definitely parallels to be drawn. He was imperial that night, moreso than today (even when grabbing 4 assists), but he always seems to deliver on the European stage. I know it's so annoying to hear, as it is said a thousand times a day, but he really is the heartbeat of our side. He's still the 'Golden Boy'. After Vidic, I think he is easily our best player.
This could be his most productive season ever for us if he continues in this manner: 8 goals; 15 assists. Excellent start. The way he links up with Kagawa is the most impressive aspect of his partnership - it's clear that he can still play as the lone striker.
Knew he was getting loads of assists, but 15 already is remarkable really. He could easily get over 20 goals and 30 assists this season, and RVP can get over 30 goals as well this season.
6 year contract please
Same dilemma though. Great today we Kagawa but can you drop RVP? So hard.
I read Ozil has 3 goals and 6 assists earlier and isn't he the greatest #10 of all time?
Hell yeah! We should definitely have sold Rooney for him...
How things quickly change eh? Transfer season is like a buffet. Brings out the worst in people.
I'd, personally, drop RVP. Sounds harsh, is harsh, but its not permanent.
Our five most talented attacking players in my opinion are RVP, Rooney, Nani, Hernandez and Kagawa. I think there is a formation out there that will get the best out of at least three of them, and trying to find that is an experiment worth doing. Even against Spurs. I also don't think isolating RVP is the right move in any game, when it comes to the big games if Rooney has to drop deep then stopping RVP when he is by himself is still too easy.
If we could get a brilliant 2nd formation involving Rooney, Kagawa and Hernandez/Nani and just switch between them, I think we could walk back into the title race.
So true. Especially when it concerns Rooney.
But then what if Rooney leaves? What if he loses his head again and hits a poor run of form? We can't just assume he is better for good now. If we piss of RVP and Rooney has a poor season, we are in the dog house.
I agree the way Rooney is playing and the way he links with Kagawa, we seriously have to start thinking about what do we do with RVP. I'd be interested to see Kagawa at 10 behind RVP. I don't think we have seen that yet for a game where both were fresh and fit and not off the bench/not moved position during a game?
If Rooney leaves... ****
Thats a decent point to be fair. No, he's not leaving in January, is he going to sit out of the Champions League knockouts? I'm talking about shaking things up to get a decent 2nd XI for the games where it is nesscary.
Yeah I know what you mean. We have some wonderful players. Just I'm struggling to see how we can A. Play them all where they want to, B. Play them consistently without rotating and C. Keep them all happy.
Something will have to give at some point. I just don't know what I want, or even what I think would be the way forward. Just a big, fat, mind boggling dilemma!
Looking forward to your November player of the month video.
To all those who thought Rooney was being 'selfish' by wanting to play up front well he plays up front today and puts in a selfless display doing the right thing and setting up goals. This is why I've always admired Rooney as a player, his priority is for the team to win ahead of any individual accolades. As a lone striker he could easily be more selfish and fill his boots.
On a side note, interestingly back in 09/10 Valencia was assisting Rooney a lot but this season Rooney has set Valencia up three times. They have a good understanding together.
I remember those days! The days when Valencia would actually aim his crosses so that even the wee lad Rooney could get his then-bald head on the ball to send it into the back of the net! :P. Of all the things I wonder about Valencia, it's this that boggles me the most. Lose confidence and you don't take on defenders as much, fine. Cross aim gets worse, fine. But to completely give up aiming and just blast it into the box?
I'm being harsh. He was good today. Apologies for the digression down memory lane too haha.
Rooney may have demanded to play up front as a number 10, but I'm not sure he has a selfish bone on his body when he is on the pitch.
Sir Alex used to say Wayne would want to play in practically every position and he would play anywhere he was asked to. As sad as it is that their relationship broke down, that really never seems to have changed on the pitch.
Sir Alex used to say Wayne would want to play in practically every position and he would play anywhere he was asked to. As sad as it is that their relationship broke down, that really never seems to have changed on the pitch.
Yup, completely agree. Some people might think he's a selfish cnut for not wanting to play in midfield or on the wing, but it's not like that at all. He just doesn't play very well in those positions or doesn't impact the game as much, or anywhere near to what he can do up front. Him playing up front usually works very well, as long as he stays fit, and if anything like you said he could be more selfish, like against Cardiff in the last minute. Had he been a more selfish player and not thought always to set up his teammates we would have probably won that game.
I think the main reason he had a poor season last year, was because Van Persie was seen as the main man, and Rooney was just another player in the team like anybody else, and everybody could see it and that probably hurt his confidence. He also had a few injury problems that didn't help, but being told to do a covering job on Ronaldo in the first leg of the champions league is hardly something you limit a player like Wayne Rooney to. At the beginning of this season I felt like he was playing for a transfer, but now I genuinely thinks he is happy here again, playing excellently and being the main man at the club again.
But in a way, doesn't the Cardiff point also show why he may be better playing just off or a free role around a clinical striker rather than being the loan man himself? Rooney has some of the many qualities a lone striker needs so he is brilliant there, but to me a world class lone man also has to have that clinical edge too. Don't get me wrong it's a wonderful ability to set up team mates and put the team first, but the Cardiff incident is one which he would have buried had he had the final piece to the jigsaw.
I think he definitely has it, as he showed the two seasons he played as our main striker (09/10 and 11/12, scoring 35 goals both years) but its hard to expect him to one game be the main striker and be selfish, and the next be a brilliant second striker. He plays very well most of the time, its just the little bit of clinicalness (not sure if thats a word) is gone when you go back and forth between being a playmaker one game and finisher the next.
Anyways, all players miss chances now and then, Rooney is actually a very good finisher though. RVP misses the easier chances more often then Rooney does really. The key thing was that Rooney scored 1, assisted 1, and probably should have had another assist for setting up Welbeck for that easy chance.
Yeah Rooney is certainly a very good finisher and has proved that with 200+ goals for the club. Everyone can have a bad moment.
Rooney is very clinical, no one can debate that can they? He's worked very hard on his shooting over the years because as a kid he wasn't the best. He's easily more clinical than RVP but I think this debate has been done before.
Yeah clinical is the wrong word. Selfish is the better one. And yeah agreed the switching has an impact. Guess all I'm saying is RVP wouldn't have even thought about passing, which isn't a bad thing. Ultimately it's a balance between the two. But agreed Rooney could play that role and has proven it many times to be fair, just picking tiny holes in his game rather than trying to argue that he can't.
Dispute the point about RVP though. Last year he was exceptional, let's not forget that. Agreed this year he has missed a few sitters but last year we can't forget that if he was about to shoot, you always thought it was going in. Still got a good goals return this season just doesn't seem as good as he has missed a few easy chances, at least for his standards.
His delivery from set pieces is excellent. That's one area of his game he has improved over the last few seasons.
As good as Van Persie has been for us, I wouldn't say he has been clinical by any means. Missed a lot of easy chances last year.
If only he scored after that nutmeg, that would have been a great goal.
Everyone misses chances; I can't see how you could argue he wasn't clinical last year.
Because he wasn't. For me, a clinical striker is one who always puts away the easy chances, or even the 'not so easy ones but ones you'd expect any striker to put away'. RvP did miss some absolute sitters, and some easier chances, and enough to say it was somewhat of a trait to his game rather than a passing thing. However, what he did also have, and which puts him in the bracket of the best forwards in football, is the ability to make a goal out of absolutely nothing and put away some absolute belters. He was exceptional for us last year, but I wouldn't call him a clinical striker, no.
Just so it's clear, this isn't slagging RvP off just to big up Rooney or anything, it's just my opinion on RvP, a player I love watching and that I have immense admiration for.
I get what you're saying, but my point still stands. He may not be the most clinical striker in the world, but you could never say that Rooney IS clinical and RVP ISN'T clinical. Rooney has missed sitters too. The correct way of putting it is they are both clinical strikers, just not the most clinical in the world. Just think we have a slightly different perception of what clinical is that's all.
Yep, possibly, it's just perception anyway and it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that they're both bloody brilliant players, and that they play for us!
Fair play to the cnut. Been generally excellent all season so far. SAF and him must have had a proper Keane/Beckham/RvN esque falling out, the difference in Rooney's body language is pretty ridiculous. Both him and RvP play their best as the lone striker though... hopefully that'll change when we get a half-decent midfield in.
Yep, possibly, it's just perception anyway and it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that they're both bloody brilliant players, and that they play for us!
Hell yeah!
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