Rooney and Ronaldo
Both the English Press and many English fans have tried to make Christiano Ronaldo the scapegoat of their latest World Cup disappointment, ignoring the fact that England played mediocre football throughtout the World Cup. They seem to think it was Ronaldo's protests to the referee that caused Rooney's red card, not the fact that Rooney stomped on Carvalho's nuts about two feet from the official . Even Sven asked the press to go easy on England's "golden boy".
There is talk (I watched interviews with Man U fans and saw some Brit press) that Ronaldo now cannot return to Man U (and England) because of this rift with Rooney, and that the Portugese winger is headed to Real Madrid. So Man U should have to give up a player in Ronaldo, who has improved dramatically over the last 3 years and is just heading into his prime because Rooney had another moment of idiocy?
When Ronaldo first came to Man U, he was all style and no substance. A great dribbler of course, but no vision, bad crosses, and weak finishing (and way too much diving). Now he is certainly one of the elite wingers in the world. He sees the field better, crosses better, and is developing into a good finisher with both feet (and a good striker of direct kicks - hits the crazy knuckler also used by Pirlo and Juninho). He is also an aerial threat in the box.
Rooney's temper and relationships with refs are a major problem. He strikes an adversarial pose with ever ref and screams at them after every call (he unofficially led the Prem in "Fuck Offs"). If he had some maturity and diplomacy, he would at least mix in a smile or a light moment with a ref - these things go a long way toward earning some leeway.
I understand that the English like their players to have a chip on their shoulder and play with a bit of an edge, but Rooney is far past that. You want to use that edge to fire up your team (see John Terry), not force them to play a man down. He helped sink Man U's Champions League hopes by getting a silly yellow card and then walking up to the ref and clapping derisively in his ear in a group match against Villareal. Ref Kim Nielson had no choice but to issue a second yellow and send him off the pitch.
Rooney is not yet a great finisher. He is a great player, demands a lot of attention from defenders, and creates a lot of chances, but he squanders a lot of chances as well. He almost always goes for power on his shots, and while they are often on net or just over the bar, they rarely find the net. He might want to take a look at Henry or Bergkamp (or soon to be ex-teammate van Nistlerooy), who all show the value of placement over velocity.
The good news is he is young and can rectify these things. Fewer red cards and higher quality finishing should both come with age and experience, but they are not guaranteed. It is time for people to admit Rooney's shortcomings as well as his gifts.
The Idiot
There is talk (I watched interviews with Man U fans and saw some Brit press) that Ronaldo now cannot return to Man U (and England) because of this rift with Rooney, and that the Portugese winger is headed to Real Madrid. So Man U should have to give up a player in Ronaldo, who has improved dramatically over the last 3 years and is just heading into his prime because Rooney had another moment of idiocy?
When Ronaldo first came to Man U, he was all style and no substance. A great dribbler of course, but no vision, bad crosses, and weak finishing (and way too much diving). Now he is certainly one of the elite wingers in the world. He sees the field better, crosses better, and is developing into a good finisher with both feet (and a good striker of direct kicks - hits the crazy knuckler also used by Pirlo and Juninho). He is also an aerial threat in the box.
Rooney's temper and relationships with refs are a major problem. He strikes an adversarial pose with ever ref and screams at them after every call (he unofficially led the Prem in "Fuck Offs"). If he had some maturity and diplomacy, he would at least mix in a smile or a light moment with a ref - these things go a long way toward earning some leeway.
I understand that the English like their players to have a chip on their shoulder and play with a bit of an edge, but Rooney is far past that. You want to use that edge to fire up your team (see John Terry), not force them to play a man down. He helped sink Man U's Champions League hopes by getting a silly yellow card and then walking up to the ref and clapping derisively in his ear in a group match against Villareal. Ref Kim Nielson had no choice but to issue a second yellow and send him off the pitch.
Rooney is not yet a great finisher. He is a great player, demands a lot of attention from defenders, and creates a lot of chances, but he squanders a lot of chances as well. He almost always goes for power on his shots, and while they are often on net or just over the bar, they rarely find the net. He might want to take a look at Henry or Bergkamp (or soon to be ex-teammate van Nistlerooy), who all show the value of placement over velocity.
The good news is he is young and can rectify these things. Fewer red cards and higher quality finishing should both come with age and experience, but they are not guaranteed. It is time for people to admit Rooney's shortcomings as well as his gifts.
The Idiot
posted by the idiot at 8:39 AM
2 Comments:
Rooney is every bit as solid a finisher as Ronaldo - if not better. He is also a better passer and holds the ball up better. Ronaldo is better at running at opponents and crossing. Just my two cents.
Absolutely. Didn't mean to intimate that Ronaldo was a better finisher - just that his finishing has improved dramatically. Rooney is a better finisher (neither is great yet), but as a striker he should be.
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