The writing has been on the wall for a while but the time has finally come. It is uncomfortable to say so I’ll just write it.
With a pivotal UEFA Champions League match against CSKA Moscow looming, Manchester United has to drop an under-performing Wayne Rooney from its starting 11. United’s last goal came in their previous meeting with CSKA on October 21 when Anthony Martial, not Rooney, equalized with a diving header. The official passing of the baton from false number 9 to number 9 in the team sheet needs to happen for the return match this week.
This season United have at times dominated possession for stretches of play without being able to finish in the final third.
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United have scored the fewest number of goals among the top six clubs in the Premier League this season, with Rooney contributing just two. The club-scoring drought has now stretched over five hours following Saturday’s goal-less draw against Crystal Palace.
Legendary United player Paul Scholes has criticized the pedestrian attacking set up by United under Louis Van Gaal.
Much of the Red Devils’ issues stem around Rooney’s lack of form in front of goal. He was at his worst in the derby with no shots on goal against Manchester City last week. It is not just that Rooney fails to create chances with the ball at his feet. Rooney also fails to get in the game for long stretches.
In their last game against CSKA, Rooney was equally invisible with goalkeeper David De Gea being the only United player that had fewer touches.
Van Gaal has been stubbornly loyal to his captain, calling on him to start all but one Premier League match this season. The Dutchman has dropped Juan Mata, Memphis Depay, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, and Matteo Darmian for performance issues far less egregious than Rooney’s.
Rooney should not be immune to having to fight for his place. Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas have been dropped at Chelsea. Vincent Kompany has been dropped by City. Part of playing at a big club is that you are going to be constantly in competition to keep your place. Rooney has been in cruise control, never fearing that any of the three United managers he’s played under were going to drop him.
Rooney is 30 and has played lots of football since making his debut as a 16-year-old. He’s lost pace, power, aggression, clinical finishing, and his short game has always been bad with a heavy touch. Now, one of his unique strengths, his long range passing, is starting to let him down.
When Van Gaal first took over United seemingly had an abundance of strikers and there was talk Rooney could be the next Paul Scholes and eventually move back to be a number 6. Now, that’s the last place you’d play him.
Van Gaal has already stated he is tired of answering questions about Rooney: “I have to talk every week about Rooney, why? You have your opinion—write it. I don’t give any more answers about Wayne Rooney. I am sick of them.” Well, the why is he has been one of United’s poorest performers while also being one of their highest wage earners. The why is that Van Gaal shipped out Javier Hernandez, Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, and Robin Van Persie so Rooney could be is number one option and he’s failed to deliver.
Roy Hodgson has faced the same issues deploying Rooney in his England squad. Named captain because of a lack of quality alternatives, Rooney has rusted away before our eyes. Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge are much more complete players up front. Raheem Sterling is a much better player in the hole behind a striker. Theo Walcott is a better option as a wide attacker in a front three. And England have a host of better options as a left-winger because Rooney is lost defensively in such a role. So the dilemma for club and country is similarly what do you do with a captain who doesn’t have a natural position that helps the team but naturally garners conversation if you drop the face of your franchise?
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The issue is that Depay, Mata, and Herrera are all better suited to their natural positions than Rooney is, which is why Rooney is being played up front as a striker.
Martial’s best and long-term position is as a number 9. The young Frenchmen is already performing at a higher level than the English hero. Martial has scored big goals in big moments when played centrally. By contrast, three of Rooney’s six goals this season came in a Champions League qualifier against Club Brugge. Only 19, Martial’s best football is ahead of him, while Rooney’s is behind him. Every time Martial gets the ball you’re on the edge of your seat. Every time Rooney gets the ball you feel afraid for him.
Martial now is forced to play out wide on the left but he is wearing number 9, not 11 for a reason. He has the makeup of a great striker. How often have you seen the first defender take down Martial one versus one? How many times have you seen Rooney beat a defender one versus one? Often times he isn’t driving forward and looking to take them on but instead recycling the ball safely.
What dropping Rooney also allows is more flexibility in formation. United have routinely set up in a 4-2-3-1. Rooney not being in the team would allow them to drop back and forth between Van Gaal’s preferred 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3 whenever they need. Ander Herrera’s versatility is the lynchpin that allows United to drop him back as an attacking midfielder in a three-man midfield along Morgan Schneiderlin with Bastian Schweinsteiger as the holding base. This gives the “three Ms” of Mata, Martial, and Memphis the license to get forward and create havoc.
It’s hard to fathom one of the faces of Premier League being a support player. It’s not easy to drop the most prolific goal scorer in the history of the English national team. Yet Van Gaal has made a career of making hard choices. Will it hurt shirt sales at the megastore? Possibly. Will it be a mega controversy? Definitely. It is the right decision tactically? Unquestionably it is. The future is now for Manchester United. They need to drop Rooney, and get past the fact that their greatest English player of this generation is not one of the 11 best players right now at Manchester United.
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