In the past 18 months which have seen him become Manchester United’s captain, England’s top goalscorer and national tenner you gleefully find in your back pocket (he’s not quite at ‘treasure’ yet), it’s ironic that Wayne Rooney finds himself in the worst form of his career.
There’s one strike in Rooney’s alumni of goals which defines him as a player. Sunday, 24th April 2005. United are trailing 0-1 to Newcastle at Old Trafford. A 19-year-old Rooney is having a torrid game. Shortly before the 57th minute, the striker is booked for a late challenge. Perplexed, he yells at the referee Neale Barry as the game continues. As he’s jogging and shouting alongside Barry, the ball then falls to him from a defensive header. On pure instinct, Rooney charges towards it and thumps it from 25 yards flush into the top left corner. United went on to win the game 2-1.
This is Wayne Rooney. Visceral, pugnacious, strong, quick, acrobatic; the fictional making of a perfect striker that’s stepped out of the comic book. Since arriving at Manchester United in 2004, Rooney has scored 10+ Premier League (all following stats are PL-based) goals every season and averages 0.49 goals per game (gpg).
Rooney is the last remaining player of the squad that greeted him when he joined Old Trafford in 2004.
But he is not the same player.
Perhaps it was the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, whose relationship with Rooney was acrimonious at the time, which triggered the trough the 29-year-old is now in.
In the last three seasons under SAF, Rooney scored 50 goals @ an average of 0.56 gpg. Since SAF’s departure, he has scored 30 goals @ 0.43 gpg.
In the last couple years of SAF’s tenure, he began to deploy Rooney in a deeper midfield role; realising the centre-forward had lost parts from his utility belt of striking attributes.
Wayne excelled in a position which complimented his long-ball distribution, reading of the game and eagerness to win back the ball.
This is where Rooney began to mature as a player and person, which, for the sake of his game, was the worst thing that happened to him.
David Moyes arrived in 2013 and saw the new, polished characteristics in the player he coached as a feisty teenager at Everton.
He toyed with Rooney’s position in a woeful season which saw David de Gea, Ryan Giggs and Rooney (17 goals @ 0.59 gpg) carry the club towards any standard of credibility.
Then came the summer of 2014. New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal made Rooney United captain on Tuesday, 12th August. 16 days later, England manager Roy Hodgson named Rooney England captain.
This was now a man with responsibility, not only off the pitch – where he has two young boys, and a third child on the way – but on it too.
As a captain you should restrain yourself from outbursts of rage; be a collected figure to which teammates can turn - just ask Roy Keane.
Rooney doesn't suit such specifications.
Last season LvG received much criticism for playing Rooney in midfield, citing it as the reason why he struggled for form and goals. By spring, he was back playing up front, but his presence was still nullified, most noticeably in the 4-2 derby win over City, where Gary Neville described him as a “silent dominator” in his Sky Sports column.
This season LvG has backed Rooney in a centre-forward position, confident he can deliver 20 goals for the season, but one in seven so far doesn’t vindicate that confidence.
Watching Rooney up front now is frustrating. He always wants one more touch (think Kyle Walker’s OG first day of the season), he rarely strikes the ball well first time, and his decision-making when running with the ball on the counter attack usually ends with the opposition in possession.
He is not the player he once was. And this is not a criticism of him at all; Rooney is not finished by any means. He'll still produce a few breathtaking moments here and there, because he still has that innate ability.
One thing that hasn't changed is Rooney's quarrels with the officials. As a captain, he's somewhat obliged to talk with them now, which he does, a lot.
Let's just hope that next time he's shouting at the referee, a ball falls invitingly from 25 yards out.
Source: DSG
