Match Day Thread United v City

Inclusion of Rooney in middle of the park unbalances the system and effectively does force Pogba to play deeper and everyone else to carry the load. Would United be best served playing Rooney in that role? The answer is an absolute "NO"!! He is ineffective and his assists can't glare over that crack.

Quick questions: When was the last time Rooney had a goal from outside of the box? I mean, when was the last time he had a shot on target from outside of the area? Now, if we are kind enough to consider how much he gets paid to what he delivers, then on that metric alone, he is FKIN' SHYTE as far as I'm concerned.

Don't get me wrong, Rooney still has a role to play in the team, just certainly not as first name on the team sheet. He IS our third or perhaps fourth best striker ATM and should never be retrofitted into midfield. That action is a disservice to the team and to the player himself.

But hey, let's keep defending the inclusion of the player in the starting lineup. Sooner or later, Mourinho would plug him in as a defender because as we know, Rooney just has to play regardless of the resources that are available to the manager.

 

Put him between the sticks and give De Gea a crack in midfield!

 

Your post clearly shows how tactical the league is becoming. It is no longer about just having a constant starting eleven that fits all situations. The emphasis is fast becoming about system rather than simply building around a player. the most adaptive system and manager will win the league this year.

I'll leave the comment about Rooney to the side for now but I would surely love to look inside Mourinho's head to see what he really thinks.

 

Exactly. Didn't we have this just the other season and we only improved when he picked up an injury and was out for a while.

 

Said it for a long time, when fit Herrera has to play.

 

No ducking and diving from JM just a good, honest take on the game. Refreshing really -

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...er-uniteds-2-1-defeat-to-manchester-city.aspx

 

The reason Pogba is playing deep is because Fellaini is a liability at centre midfield. Rooney isn't even playing in midfield, he's playing second striker.

When Moyes and van Gaal played Fellaini at CM they were lambasted. He's an attacking midfielder you all say, or a number 10 you say. For some very, very weird reason it seems acceptable to play Fellaini at CM now Jose is doing it. This despite having Carrick, Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin on hand who are all better at it and Herrera who is simply a better CM in any role.
If Pogba had a player alongside him who isn't the oppositions best source of possession alongside him he'd get forward more. Quite simple.

That all said, I do agree we SHOULD have a midfield three, those three being Herrera, Pogba and Schneiderlin (or Schweinsteiger), which would leave no place for Rooney at 10 anyway. Or indeed any second striker.

 

There's never a good reason to play Fellaini in any position. Schneiderlin must be ****ing **** in training.

 

This is exactly the point, Chief. If we select a team based on who is best in each position, Rooney would not make that team. Of course Fellaini wouldn't either but that's a foregone conclusion. Given how much we pay Rooney, we can then conclude that if he does not fit into the best system for the club, he is then a liability to the team given how much we pay him. We can't have a 300k a week player sitting on the bench. For too long, we have blamed the managers for Rooney's drop out of best in class.

 

If Jose starts the next game using Pogba in some BS defensive position and starting with Rooney, then he really is no better than LvG.

 

I still can't work out why our players (to a man for those who played the full 90) were so tired in the latter stages of the game. It wasn't a particularly hot day, the pitch is supposed to be considerable firmer than last season and we are at the start of the season, not the end. Bailly was visibly exhausted and was close to just falling to the ground, Rooney did his best Nobby Stiles impression (in defence) for the last 15 with his socks around his ankles, and even young Pogba looked tired.

 

Most probably because City gave us the complete runaround in the first half.

 

Well, it's not exactly the same if I have to be picky.

What it is is picking a different formation into which a number 10, of which Rooney is one, doesn't fit.

It also means no room for two of Mata, Rashford and MkhitarIan. Not just Rooney.

 

I think many fans are confusing today's Rooney for Scholes. Sadly, I don't think Rooney of today he is anything like Scholes. You can't play in that 10 position if you are afraid to shoot from outside or play a pass through the middle for linkup play. Yesteryears Rooney used to do that. But today's Rooney would do a better job if his role were to be in a box. He still knows how to put the ball in the back of the neat (when on-form) due to his striker's instincts if he gets the right services from he flanks. But if he is played in that No. 10 or false 10 role, it is like playing with a man down because it affects everyone else's positional awareness. Ironically, his assists this season have not been from the middle. As a matter of fact, we lost yesterday's game because City's No. 10, De Bruyne was so dynamic with his link-up play and so deadly effective. Two things Rooney lack so badly. Herrera or Mata would provide much better service through the middle. Which leaves Rooney with only one position.. frontline!

Unfortunately for Rooney, Zlatan and Rashford would be better options upfront (at least on paper until we try them together). I also think that Rashford would compliment Zlatan nicely due to his sheer speed and ball to feet control which would draw defenders to him and create space for Zlatan.

Regardless and no matter how we put the permutations together, Rooney doesn't have a place in the starting line-up. I think he would be more effective playing games that suit him tactically, i.e. slower games, or coming off the bench when legs of opponents are weary.

 

I see Rashford's strength as running in with the ball at feet rather than being an 'in the box' striker. If Rooney must play then we need to revert to 4 - 4 - 2 with him and Zlatan up front - anywhere else on the pitch and Rooney is not the best option from the other players in the squad. I thought JM said he was going to play him as a striker ...............

 

I thought he said that too before the season started. The problem that I see with playing Rooney and Zlatan in 4-4-2 is that neither of them is quick enough to make up for each other's lack of speed which I think is needed in this league. You can have one slow and technical mixed with fast but less technical. But I don't know how two slow but technical strikers would perform. With that said, Rooney has excellent positional awareness as a striker that would benefit the team more than sticking him in midfield.

 

Paul Scholes played at centre of midfield.

The only two confusing Rooney with him is you and fodder, who both think that's where Rooney is playing.

He isn't, he's the second striker.

If anything we're not a million miles away from the 4 4 2 you both mention in that we've got 2 at CM, a centre forward and a "No. 10" and two wide attackers.

The biggest difference is that both those wide attackers naturally cut inside. If they got to the byline and crossed instead they'd be wingers and it would be 4 4 2.

Rooney is not playing in CM though. Not sure what you're watching.

The other biggest difference is that Fellaini isn't Roy Keane. Or Bryan Robson. Or Paul Ince. Or Paul Scholes for that matter.

 

He isn't even Tom Cleverly.

 

Fellani was getting some praise in games lately and deservedly so, he was making challenges other than missing them and covering a lot of ground, the problem was that he was like a headless chicken, there was no thought as to whether he should be in that part of the pitch making a challenge.
I think you'd be better off with someone holding the midfield area so that Pogba can be more expansive.

 

Fellaini works hard and gets about the pitch. I admire his commitment, that's not in question and is a definite asset, but he is without question a notch below the standard of a first choice CM.
And that's what he currently is.

We have way better players in that position. Players who could simply replace him and we stay with the same formation or players who could come in and we go with 3 in midfield. Fellaini should be used as a sub, no more.

He's a very useful squad player and if he's happy in that role then great, keep him at the club. He just should not be a first choice when I can and already have named four better alternative's.

And yes, his randomness and recklessness does hold Pogba back.