UEFA Champions League Final Preview – Manchester United versus Barcelona: Key Battles (Part 3)
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By his own admission the current football season has been Rooney’s worst one. After scoring 34 goals for Manchester United last season and winning several accolades on the way, Wayne Rooney’s problems started when he picked up
an ankle injury whilst playing against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the quarter finals of the 2009-2010 UEFA Champions League. Manchester United eventually lost that match and then went out on away goals after Bayern Munich scored two away goals at
Old Trafford.
In the summer, Rooney disappointed at the World Cup and then he was caught in a media web which was centred around his extra marital affairs. To top it all off the Englishman came clean in the media by stating that he wanted to
seek a move away from Manchester United because they were no longer capable of competing for the highest honours. As bidders lined the streets of Manchester for the ex-Everton man, Sir http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alex-c4752 Ferguson confirmed Rooney’s stance.
Nonetheless, Ferguson worked his magic and convinced Wayne to sign a new five year contract with the Red Devils. Rooney came out and apologized for his remarks as well. However the Englishman didn’t shift into his top form till
the latter part of the season when the UEFA Champions League entered into its knockout stages. After disappointing against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympic-c40122 Marseille at the French giant’s home stadium, Rooney played a pivotal role in United’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford. Dropping
deep and picking out passes for Luis http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Antonio-Valencia-c6345, the Englishman excelled in his new role.
Rooney continued this form in the quarterfinals as well when Manchester United gained a 3-1 aggregate victory over the Blues thanks to Rooney’s away goal and another match winning performance at Old Trafford. Now as the tie against
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 looms large, United’s fans will be calling on their English striker to shine once again. However standing in his way is the dramatic yet technically gifted Sergio Busquets.
Barcelona’s defensive midfielder has gained a reputation for being an unfair footballer due to his history of influencing the referee into fouls and calling upon the officials to book his opponents. Regardless, Busquets will pick
up Rooney when he drops deep in the space between Barcelona’s midfield three and their back line. This encounter has the potential to decide the nature of the tie in reality. Rooney’s enthusiastic approach means that he will also pick up on Busquets when Barcelona
are in possession but the Merseyside born striker has a reputation for mistiming a few of his tackles, something that Busquets will try to exploit.
Moreover, Manchester United’s success in the UEFA Champions League this season has been dependant on Rooney’s new found role as the traditional no. 10. Similarly Barcelona’s success in the past three years has been directly linked
with Sergio’s rise to fame. Busquets is often an underestimated player because Xavi and Iniesta steal the headlines along with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 for the Spanish champions. If Barcelona are to keep a lid on Manchester United’s attack then Rooney will have to be
kept quiet, the only person who can do that in Barcelona’s midfield is Sergio Busquets...
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