Football Special Report: Player Profile – Wayne Rooney (Part 3)
Wayne Rooney was supposed to be one of the best strikers of the FIFA World Cup 2010 and many had hoped that he was going to score a lot of goals for the English but sadly, for the English fans, things didn’t really go the way they wanted. The whole English team did not really adapt with the “defensive” techniques of Fabio Capello and during the group stages, it was Wayne Rooney who didn’t find the net against United States, Algeria and Slovenia. The Three Lions looked to be failing throughout the group stages and then they had to face Germany, where Rooney still couldn’t find the net even with a shot right from the penalty spot, which he couldn’t guide well enough and struck the pole.
Rooney’s frustrations reached new heights after the group stage match against Algeria. The match actually ended in a 0-0 draw and when Wayne Rooney was interviewed at the pitch, he criticized his nation’s fans and left the pitch boiling with anger. He was angry at the fact that the players were trying their best and the fans were still criticizing them; however, the English striker later issued an apology for what he said and cleared that whatever he said was out of “anger.”
It wasn’t only the “score board” that concerned Rooney; it was also the formation that the English team was using during the whole tournament. He looked to be totally out of form, as he kept quiet throughout the FIFA World Cup 2010 because he was played as a “shadow striker” along with Defou and Heskey. Rooney, however, is used to of playing as a “sole striker” in Manchester United. Many fans still think that if he was played as the only striker along with Gerrard at his back, England might have scored a lot of goals in the tournament.
Wayne Rooney could not really adapt with Capello’s favourite 4-4-2 formation and the factors of fitness, form and formation took their toll around Wayne Rooney and came in his way whenever he went for the ball. However, the real reason still remains unknown as no one is too sure what exactly happened in South Africa and why a player like Rooney could not score even a single goal in the tournament.
England, then totally showed how “flop” they were as the “favourites” of the FIFA World Cup were kicked out by Germany in the pre quarter final stages. Many thought that the match is going to be a thriller and that both of the European teams are going to give each other a tough time but it was hard for the English defenders to cope up with the German pace. It was England who went out of the FIFA World Cup 2010 after the Germans thrashed them with a 4-1 defeat. However, the score line does not tell the whole story; in the first half, Germans scored 2 early goals to put pressure on the English side but it was Upsen who scored 1 for England after an inch-perfect cross from Gerard. Later, Lampard’s clear goal was denied by the referee as the side-line official was sure that the ball didn’t cross the line, even though it was yards inside the goal. With lots of drama left behind in the FIFA World Cup 2010, the English team had to pack their bags and had to leave South Africa after a disappointing run in the tournament.
As Wayne Rooney is only 24 years old, he is definitely going to feature in the next FIFA World Cup, which is going to take place in 2014 in Brazil. However, for now, he has other things up his head as the new season is about to start in England, as the English Premier League has kicked off. Rooney has to disprove all the charges that surround him and he has to score a lot of goals in the 2010-11 season. On paper, he is definitely an amazing player and he is definitely going to try to come out with flying colours this year round as well.
Tags: