Warriors Beware: Rooney set to light up World Cup

[1989]

We really need a defense strategy.... or a serious offense strategy...

Rooney set to light up World Cup

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By Jonathan Stevenson
BBC Sport in Manchester

The World Cup finals begin in 60 days and England have their best chance of winning the tournament since 1966.

But why is public expectation so high this time? In two words, Wayne Rooney.

Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has at his disposal the finest English talent since Paul Gascoigne, a young man blessed with a genius seldom seen before on these or any other shores.

BBC Sport went to Manchester to find out how the nation's great hope is shaping up - and what his biggest fans make of the prodigious 20-year-old with rocket fuel in his boots.

FABULOUS FORM

On Sunday, Rooney showed exactly why people have put so much faith in him at such a tender age.

Watching his Man Utd side start on the back foot against Arsenal, Rooney almost dragged his team back into the game single-handedly with a performance of endeavour, determination and no little skill.

   
WAYNE ROONEY FACTFILE
 
Born: 24 October, 1985, Liverpool
Clubs: Everton, Man Utd
Career games: 165
Career goals: 51
England caps: 27
England goals: 10

Seeing the midfielders struggle against Cesc Fabregas and Gilberto Silva, Rooney dropped deep to help his team-mates - often ending up in a full-back berth to clear the ball from danger.

Yet as soon as United became more of a force in the game, he was at the hub of every attacking threat they had to offer.

Twice before half-time he forced Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann to save smartly having created himself some space, before he rounded Lehmann and saw a piledriver handled onto a post by defender Kolo Toure.

If Rooney felt frustrated at having been denied a clear penalty he refused to show it, and soon after the break got his just rewards.

Found by a beautiful Mikael Silvestre cross, Rooney took just one perfect touch to control the ball before hammering it sweet-as-you-like into the corner of the Arsenal net.

He wasn't finished, either.

With most of the United players seemingly happy to sit on their lead, Rooney burst down the right, kept his feet when he could have won a penalty and crossed for Park Ji-Sung to make sure of the points.

[Jefferz]

everyone is aware... there is almost no way NOT to be aware... i mean anywhere yuh turn yuh hearin how good he playin... we all know how good he is... we have dwighty they wit him trainin everyday... we will be as prepared as possible come Wc in June.

[palos]

Well boy.  De way how de English hypin Rooney....it look like de oddah teams should jes lie dong and give England de trophy from now.  One writer suggest England should jes give Rooney de ball and de ress go happen.

Hero worship gone mad.  Lissenin to dem....yuh know wha dey REALLY sayin....Rooney is de best player in de world. 

[Disgruntled_Trini]

to his credit the man play real good agaist Arseanal this weekend

[Jahyouth]

H Rooney MC

Watch de ride.  leh we go Soca Warriors

[JDB]

Well boy.  De way how de English hypin Rooney....it look like de oddah teams should jes lie dong and give England de trophy from now.  One writer suggest England should jes give Rooney de ball and de ress go happen.

Hero worship gone mad.  Lissenin to dem....yuh know wha dey REALLY sayin....Rooney is de best player in de world. 

Rooney is great but the reason I am not worrying too much as a TnT fan is the same reason I does be vex as a United fan.

He is just a man/boy. Damn good player for sure, and on his day he will rip us to shreds, but..

This is football and he cannot be at his best or even average every day. Our job is to prepare to go out there to do our best and capitalize when Rooney/England/Sweden doesn't bring it.

Even if Rooney is on form it is a team game and the other men might slip. this same Rooney play ona  team that couldn't beat a team called Burton. That is football. We just have to be prepared.

It makes absolutely no sense to go overboard with fear for the man.

[1989]

Well boy.  De way how de English hypin Rooney....it look like de oddah teams should jes lie dong and give England de trophy from now.  One writer suggest England should jes give Rooney de ball and de ress go happen.

Hero worship gone mad.  Lissenin to dem....yuh know wha dey REALLY sayin....Rooney is de best player in de world. 

Rooney is great but the reason I am not worrying too much as a TnT fan is the same reason I does be vex as a United fan.

He is just a man/boy. Damn good player for sure, and on his day he will rip us to shreds, but..

This is football and he cannot be at his best or even average every day. Our job is to prepare to go out there to do our best and capitalize when Rooney/England/Sweden doesn't bring it.

Even if Rooney is on form it is a team game and the other men might slip. this same Rooney play ona  team that couldn't beat a team called Burton. That is football. We just have to be prepared.

It makes absolutely no sense to go overboard with fear for the man.

Correct.  I think that Beenhakker is well aware of the whole overconfidence thing and that he will prepare an awakening much like the one he prepared for Mexico.  Our offence will be well prepared and hopefully Dog and them will all other handle things...

In my book Rooney is good, but he is definitely NOT the best player in the world.  Neither is his team going to win the World Cup.

[ANC2]

here we go again. Everytime he score is the next coming. He score against Ferenbache and everyone talk up de man, then he eh score again in another CL game. Just let the youth play he ball nah

[real-warrior]

yeah yeah...we should be able to play defensive most of the time...hopwfully shaka saves properly@

[real-warrior]

yeah yeah...we should be able to play defensive most of the time...hopwfully shaka saves properly!

[Warrior till death]

yeah yeah...we should be able to play defensive most of the time...hopwfully shaka saves properly@

very insightful.......
u eh even read de whole topic obviously

[boss]

Look, we have to stop this negative attitude NOW! Obviously Rooney is gifted and he is capable of the spectacular, but he (1) is prone to the bad match, and (2) can be contained with some good intelligent defending. Lets give Beenie man and staff some credit please. ..

Whoops, I'm echoing what palos, JDB and 1989 are saying...sorry...but I'm generally tired of the negative attitude...BIG UP SOCA WARRIORS!! VIBES IT UP (c/o Andre Samuel) WATCH DE RIDE!! WIN OR LOSE I AM A FIGHTAH!! and any other relevant expression...

[Jefferz]

yeah yeah...we should be able to play defensive most of the time...hopwfully shaka saves properly!

huh... yuh cyah play defensively to a man who is known to volley a ball from outside de box hitting the top corners hard and fast everytime...

no amount of disiplin can stop a well place well timed volley... especially from Rooney...

Trying to play defensively the whole time would make absolutely no sense.. we are in no way a defensive team... and whether or not our defense is weak yuh hadda play to your strengths... I say we need to hold the ball... not allow them to see the ball much...

So that when they do get the ball on the occasional give turn of possession they should seem out of touch, out of sort, unfimiliar with the run of play, which should see them playing much less than solidly... in that case they will be giving us back the ball after a shy at the goal or maybe less... with considerable ease and we keep appling the pressure that comes with holding the steady possession of the ball... work it around the box waiting for an opening...



We need our back four to really GEL before Germany though... I think yuh should really think about putting the four of them in ONE room... have them really figure out EXACTLY who each person is... they need to spend as much time wit eacohter as possible... that back fourth needs to be FULLY aquanted with eacother and as comfortable as possible... they need to know how each other are going to handle something before they go to do it... so that if they arnt able to say... clear the ball the other defender is already in position to clean up from their error becuase they were already anticipating the possiblity of the slip up happening...


and of course... they need to form a special comrodery... deeper than the whole teams... like a special faction of the team... they need to know eachother well enough to play to eachother strength thus further enhancing them... also from this they can encourage them... becuase if and when they bond on that level... the support they give to eacohter will mean so much more...


I really hope this can come to be...

[scarface]

H Rooney MC

Watch de ride.  leh we go Soca Warriors

 
 

[real-warrior]

doh study rooney...once we just play a lil more defensively, we go ha no problem! jus gerrard and lampard we have tuh worry bout in de midfield

[Jefferz]

its the defense we need to wuk orn... really. is not to... "not study de man"


infact yes study de man very much... let Yorke find out every little chip in his shoulder...

then we need them defenders to come together and gel as a perfectly oiled efficient cohesive unit...

thats what we need.