Is Rooney hard to play with up front?

daz

daz

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Rooney's best season to date was his last. For the most part, up front on his own where he can do as he pleases (pretty much).

When he has been asked to play as part of a duo up front, it strikes me that whoever he plays with always does rather poorly - this seems to be the case for Manchester United and England. Is this because sub-consciously, his team mates give Rooney the ball more often, rather than his strike partner, or is this because Rooney is difficult to play with as a pair?

He's undoubtedly a great player, but I think there is a pattern emerging here. He's played with a lot of great strikers in his short career, but he doesn't seem to have struck up any kind of a partnership or understanding with any of them.
 
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It's all awful journalism that has caught on due to people entrusting journalists too much.

'Rooney needs to play with Heskey' - REALLY? REALLY? People really think that?

In actual fact, Heskey plays as Capello hasn't tried to adapt the English game at all, it's still mostly hit it to a generally crap target man. That's why there's never any good team goals, headers, deflections or own goals
 
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When he has been asked to play as part of a duo up front, it strikes me that whoever he plays with always does rather poorly - this seems to be the case for Manchester United and England. Is this because sub-consciously, his team mates give Rooney the ball more often, rather than his strike partner, or is this because Rooney is difficult to play with as a pair?

Well it's because Fergie rarely plays a 2 striker system, and for England....the rest of the strikers are just **** really.
 
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I think the problem lies with him being paired with second strikers, eg, Crouch. Rooney himself is a deep lying forward, when he was paired with Saha or Van Nistelrooy, the partnership reaped dividends. At Man Utd, we have Berbatov, another deep lying forward. They all love to occupy the same space Rooney does and to be honest nobody does it better than Rooney, nobody has his vision and passing from that area.

With England, Capello hasn't really given anyone a chance up front with Rooney and there aren't enough real games for such partnerships to be formed. Essentially if Rooney isn't allowed to occupy that second striker role, the best option is Rooney up front alone but unfortunately England's midfield doesn't cater for that with the same effectiveness as the Man Utd 5 man midfield setup.
 
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Please tell me you don't want to see Rooney & Bent up front together for us at the WC!! :p

You see, that partnership could work but for a real partnership to be formed, we are talking about 5+ games playing together against good teams so an understanding between the players can form. It's a big mistake on Capello's part that England are going into the world cup with so many areas of the field not set in stone and I don't think he has a plan B at all given the fact that Rooney plays in all the friendlies, they are up **** creek if Rooney gets injured and he has to decide who plays up front.
 
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Defoe and Crouch have played games together this season for Spurs? So I guess he will look to use those two together if, heaven forfend, Rooney gets a knock.

I think the problem is the crappy performances and experimentation in these ****ing friendlies have made everything that seemed peachy in quallies suddenly seem to vanish. I hope when we settle down at the WC and pick our first choice XI (and pray Barry is fit) that we can play as well as we did in those games against Croatia.
 
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Emile Heskey, striker, 58 caps 7 goals. Rene Higuita, keeper, 68 caps 8 goals. Jose Luis Chilavert, keeper, 74 caps 8 goals..

I wish Heskey would realise how bad he is and retire
 
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Reading the live text on the beeb too jakeke? :p

I don't know where I stand on Heskey, but if Fabio is true to his word he really ought not to pick him as he's been far from a regular for Villa this season.

The bbc is reporting that Bent has been told he isn't going though, so looks like Emule will be on the plane.
 
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people are overlooking the Heskey-Comical-Decoy-Factor, by the very virtue of his uselessness he lulls defenders into a false sense of security, amuses them with his extravagant incompetence, and so makes them relax, allowing his strike partner to pounce.
 
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No, its poor management across the whole team.

Neither Gerrard, Lampard or Rooney play in a 4-4-2.
Yet we are trying to shoehorn them into a 4-4-2 because to all intents and purposes Capello doesnt want to keep the ball on the deck and play football, he wants the team to bang it long to a target man and see what happens.

Lets have a 4-2-3-1 like the players play in for their clubs and be done with it eh?

I just dont understand whats so hard about it, its even how City play really, so SWP and Barry would fit right in as well, its a nonsense.
 
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I think the problem lies with him being paired with second strikers, eg, Crouch. Rooney himself is a deep lying forward, when he was paired with Saha or Van Nistelrooy, the partnership reaped dividends. At Man Utd, we have Berbatov, another deep lying forward. They all love to occupy the same space Rooney does and to be honest nobody does it better than Rooney, nobody has his vision and passing from that area.

With England, Capello hasn't really given anyone a chance up front with Rooney and there aren't enough real games for such partnerships to be formed. Essentially if Rooney isn't allowed to occupy that second striker role, the best option is Rooney up front alone but unfortunately England's midfield doesn't cater for that with the same effectiveness as the Man Utd 5 man midfield setup.

This.

And this.

No, its poor management across the whole team.

Neither Gerrard, Lampard or Rooney play in a 4-4-2.
Yet we are trying to shoehorn them into a 4-4-2 because to all intents and purposes Capello doesnt want to keep the ball on the deck and play football, he wants the team to bang it long to a target man and see what happens.

Lets have a 4-2-3-1 like the players play in for their clubs and be done with it eh?

I just dont understand whats so hard about it, its even how City play really, so SWP and Barry would fit right in as well, its a nonsense.
 
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It won't be a problem. Won't take Rooney long to lose his cool, stamp on someone, and get red carded. Then we can all stop worrying about how to play him :p
 
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The thing is, I think everyone that has posted in this thread could play up front with Rooney and benefit.
 
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