Rafael Benitez has many critics, but I feel the five year extension to his contract is well deserved. There are times when he can appear aloof and stubborn, while his pragmatism (frequent rotation) can be exasperating. However, his record at the top level, which includes winning two Spanish Championships and a UEFA Cup (in three years) at Valencia, cannot be overlooked. Liverpool fans can look back to the glory days (domestically anyway) all they want, but lets be honest, that was 20 years ago, and football has changed dramatically since then.
Of course, it‘s easy to say that football has changed and use this as an excuse, but since the days when Liverpool were ruling the roost, the standard of the top teams has improved to un-precedented levels. The points total’s of the top teams are a lot higher these days, and, excluding the outrageous 95 points that Chelsea amassed in 2004-2005, the League in recent years, has normally been won between 85 and 90 points.
In 2002, Arsenal won the league with 87 points, while in 2003, Manchester United captured the title with 83 points (the lowest total of recent years). In 2004, the unbeaten Arsenal team drew 12 games (Liverpool have been heavily criticized in some quarters for drawing too many games this season) but still ended up with 90 points. In 2006, Chelsea lost five games, but also ended up with 90 points, whilst in the last two years, Manchester United have won the Premiership with final points totals of 89 and 87 points respectively. These figures may not be particulary fascinating, but they are important to illustrate when summarising the job Benitez is facing.
During the 1980s (including 1989-90) Liverpool won the title seven times, but the figures make for some interesting reading. In the 38 game 1989-90 season, they won the title with 79 points, whilst second placed Aston Villa finished with 70 points, a total that both Liverpool and Chelsea will probably reach within the next four games. In the 1980s, there were also usually 42 games, and Liverpool’s highest points total was 88 points, the equivalent now, of 79 points. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have raised the bar much higher, and the last time a team won the title with a points total below 80, was Manchester United, ten years ago. This could be due to a number of reasons. Perhaps, the fact that more teams now play in the Champions League (compared to the old European Cup), has increased the standard of the very top teams. It could also be suggested, that the standards of the other teams further down the league has dropped. This is however, probably an argument for another day.
Gerard Houllier was Benitez’s predecessor and in 2002, Liverpool finished second with 80 points, above Manchester United. However, between October and March that season, Houllier was recovering from heart surgery, so that season is difficult to judge in terms of the impact of the Frenchman. His assistant, Phil Thompson was the caretaker boss for most of the season. Excluding that season, Houllier’s points total’s as manager between 1999 and 2004, varied somewhere between 60 and 69 points, and the team never finished higher than third in the league. His reign featured more than one false dawn. The clearest example being the 2002-2003 season, when his team took 30 points from their first 12 games. They eventually only finished with 64 points (in 5th place) and in mid-season went on an incredible slump of 12 games without a win, picking up only 9 points in that period. He amazingly, kept his job for another 18 months, but the damage was done.
Rafael Benitez’s first season was a tough one domestically. Liverpool lost 14 games and finished with 58 points, finishing 5th below Everton. This was, however, papered over by the stunning Champions League success, so it could be forgiven. In 2005-2006, his second season, Liverpool finished with 82 points, winning their last nine league games and winning the FA Cup. The team finished only one point behind Manchester United, and their points total would have won the league every year between 1995 and 2001. In 2006-2007, they finished 3rd with 68 points, but this was offset by reaching another Champions League final, defeating Chelsea in the semi final, as they did in 2005. Last season meanwhile, bought a final points total of 76 points. This would have been enough to win the league three times during the 1980s (on a 38 game basis). The team also reached another Champions League semi final, and were probably only prevented from reaching another final, due to John Arne Rise’s freak last minute own goal in the first leg at Anfield.
The argument I am trying to put forward is, that under the stewardship of Houllier, Liverpool were so often also-rans in the title race, but, the 2001 UEFA Cup win apart, were also never really serious challengers in Europe, and especially the Champions League. Sometimes they struggled to qualify, or didn’t even qualify for the competition. Benitez, however, has made Liverpool into one of the most feared sides in Europe, and the recent, impressive, back to back victories over Real Madrid and Manchester United have highlighted just how far Liverpool have come since the gloomy days of the late Houllier period.
It would be easy to say Benitez has not delivered the Premiership title to Anfield and that he should be judged by that. He has though, made the club into one of the top teams in Europe, and, over the last five years, the number one ranked team in Europe. If you had told a Liverpool fan in 2004, that their team would reach two Champions League finals (winning one), another semi final and a quarter final in the next five years, they probably would have laughed in your face. On the other hand, with the history and tradition of the club, this should be expected regularly, but to say the Spaniard is a failure would be a massive insult to him, although some pundits have suggested this on many occassions.
This season, Liverpool are title contenders, and if they win their last nine games (as they did in 2006), they will finish with 88 points. Judging by recent history, this will be there or thereabouts for the league title. People are talking about Manchester United having to lose three games, but actually, they only need to lose one game, and draw two games, which is not unrealistic. Of course it is a ‘big if’ for Liverpool to catch Manchester United and in all probability it won’t happen. However, under Benitez, Liverpool have certainly come a long way. They probably do draw too many games by today’s standards, but they are only perceived to draw too many games because the other top teams win so many. This is clearly illustrated by Manchester United’s recent run of 12 successive wins. It is therefore important, for the current Liverpool team to not be compared with the teams of the 1970s and 1980s. The game has moved on.
The Liverpool vintage of 1987-1988 is judged by many to be the greatest of all Liverpool’s 18 title winning teams. The flair of John Barnes, combined with the wonderful dribbling and awareness of Peter Beardsley, the goal-poaching of John Aldridge and the versatility of the vastly under-rated Steve Nicol, mustered 90 points from 40 games that season, the equivalent of 86 points in a 38 game season. Liverpool may come very close to that this year, and this, again, demonstrates the fine job the man from Madrid is doing.
Benitez’s team has only lost three league games since January 2008. They are incredibly difficult to beat and have completed League doubles over both Manchester United and Chelsea. Their current points total is their highest at this stage of the season since 1991, and this is the highest amount of points they have gained (after 29 games) since the Premier League was formed 17 years ago. They are also managing to combine a good league campaign with an excellent Champions League run. This is something they have not always managed under the Spaniard’s reign and have been widely criticised for.
To conclude the argument, it does have to be remembered that it took Sir Alex Ferguson seven years to deliver the title to Old Trafford. In 1989 and 1990, Manchester United finished 12th and 14th respectively. Benitez has always qualified for the Champions League and in his fifth season is putting together a title charge. He probably won’t win it this season, but people need to be more objective and not harp on about the glorious ‘distant past’. It is not about how far Benitez has taken Liverpool from 1988, it’s about how far Benitez has taken Liverpool from the point he took over in 2004. Liverpool currently have 61 points from 29 games, one more point than they achieved from 38 games in Houller’s last season at the helm. Doesn’t that tell us everything we need to know?
I believe, without any hesitation, that he thoroughly deserves his new contract, and it will be interesting to see if they can make that final push. Maybe then, we can stop hearing about the glory days (ex players are often the main culprits) and hear more praise for a man who has transformed his club. Like it or not, Rafa is here to stay, so be ready for more rotation of Fernando Torres, more midfield clumsiness from Lucas Leiva and more industry from the ‘un-droppable’ Dirk Kuyt. Pragmatic? Dogmatic? We would miss if he went though, wouldn’t we?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
CHINESE FOOTBALL - Why is it so weak? Or is it on the up?
China is a phenomenal country, but the football team is far from phenomenal. It is, in fact, bordering on a catastrophe.
I went to see Beijing Guoan in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night. This is the Asian Champions League, a competition full of terrific, modern stadia and skilful, hard working footballers. It was an interesting experience, but an experience which left me pondering many unanswered questions. The state of the Chinese national team is at an all time low. They crashed out of the World Cup qualifiers in the preliminary stages, not even making it through to the final stages of qualifying. Despite drawing away to the reigning Asian Champions, Iraq, and beating Australia, they were twice beaten by Bahrain, a country of 670 000 people, compared to the 1.3 billion population of the People’s Republic. Football is a popular sport in China, and millions of people tune in to CCTV5 (the main domestic sports channel) and Beijing yun dong TV (the Beijing sports channel) on Saturday and Sunday nights. However, they are watching European Football. German, Spanish and Italian football, are extremely popular here, and the Premiership, although not shown live on regular terrestrial channels, is also massively popular, and can be seen on Pay TV. It is also, of course, screened live over the internet.
People here love Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Chelsea, AC Milan and Inter Milan, but they can’t truly relate to any of these teams. There are no Chinese players. Sun Jihai was a regular at right back for Manchester City between 2002 and 2006, whilst Li Tie was an Everton player for a couple of seasons during the middle of the decade. In fact, in December 2003, Everton and Manchester City played out a goalless draw in front of one of the biggest ever live TV audiences to watch football. It was the only time two Chinese players have faced each other in the Premiership for opposition teams. Just for the record it was a dreadful 0-0 draw, but it the huge TV audience demonstrated the passion that the Chinese have for football if they have just a little something to shout for. It just needs that extra edge.
Football here was on the up during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The women’s team were one of the best in the world, and the men qualified for their first ever World Cup finals in 2002. However, it does have to be stated that Japan and South Korea were co-hosts, therefore pre-qualifying and leaving a far easier path to qualification for the Chinese. Hopes were high for probably the first time in history, but they crashed out in the group stages, and most disappointingly of all, failed to score. Optimism was severely dampened. Despite reaching the Asian Cup Final in 2004, losing to Japan in Beijing (not popular here), China has been on a downward spiral ever since.
So why is Chinese football so weak? How can a country of 1.3 billion people not produce 11 very good footballers? Speaking to some Chinese football fans, they state, openly and honestly, a number of reasons, although some may contradict each other a little. A popular conclusion was that ‘cultural habits’ are an issue. They believe that China has become a very individualistic society and an almost obsessive and yuppie-ish (similar to 80s Britain under Thatcher) attitude towards money has developed. This has transmitted itself onto the football pitch and perhaps answers a few questions about the possible lack of team ethos in China.
Another common explanation was the perception of footballers in China. Young people are so often judged on their ability in the classroom and wanna-be footballers are looked down upon as dreamy and lazy. This may of course, be different if the Chinese football team was successful, but its not, and a footballer is not seen as a good career move.
Another issue that was mentioned was a lack of discipline. It is thought by many, that the decent wages footballers earn (not anywhere near European salaries, but substantial in China) convince them to lead ‘party’ lifestyles and they lose their focus at a young age. It is noticeable that the China Under 17 to Under 21 age groups are traditionally quite successful, do well in major tournaments, and often create false expectations. However, the early promise they demonstrate doesn’t materialize as they shift through their 20s.
I left the game on Wednesday raving about a young Beijing Guoan player, 21 years old called Huang Bowen. He was good in possession, could hit accurate long and short passes, executed beautiful delivery on set pieces and could strike a ball beautifully. He ran the game, and the Australian team, the Newcastle Jets, couldn’t get near him. I mentioned this to more than one Chinese football fan, and they all had the same answer. They grumbled that he is still young and hungry, but he will not develop. They argued that in few years time, he will be just another average, run of the mill player who didn’t live up to his potential.
The hugely successful Beijing Olympics have shown that Chinese sport, in general, is right at the top of the world ladder. However, team sports remain an issue. Basketball is the more popular team sport for teenagers and university students right now. Yao Ming playing in the NBA for the Houston Rockets has elevated the sport’s status to massive heights. They all tune into the NBA, and football (a love of the 90s generation) has taken a back seat. Basketball, despite being a team sport is more individualistic. You can produce moment of individual skill a lot more frequently in basketball and youngsters like this as it has the ‘aethstetically pleasing’ factor attached to it. Football requires more discipline and team work, and this is just not the current trend.
The Chinese football team has unfortunately, become the butt of many jokes. It is not taken seriously, and now people just expect them to lose. This is probably a de-motivating factor to want to become a footballer and the Chinese basketball team, although far from outstanding is competitive at least. They reached the quarter finals at the Beijing Olympics and the country went mad with excitement.
Actually watching the game in Gongti (the People’s Workers Stadium) on Tuesday, I did notice a lack of passion and interest among the crowd. People seemed to be at the game just because they wanted to have a good time and to socialize, more than support their local team. Of course they are welcome to enjoy the game, but coming from the UK, I could never imagine supporters of a team clinging onto a 1-0 lead in the Champions League so relaxed and blasé. It is of course, just a game, and as long as the people watching are enjoying themselves, that’s fine, but maybe that’s where the problem lies. Football in China is not a serious business, and if it isn’t taken seriously, it will probably not improve.
Beijing Guoan won the game 2-0, and Shanghai Shenhua also won their Champions League game this week. There is room for optimism, despite the national team currently down at 100th in the world rankings. Many of the better players were Chinese, and as well as Bowen, I was also very impressed the pace and close control of the right winger, Wang Chang qing and Lu Jiang, the tidy midfield player. I thought to myself, if Wang Chang qing cannot get in the Chinese team, they must be pretty good. The ranking and results however, suggest otherwise.
I am not claiming to be an expert on Chinese football, but having lived in China for many years, I feel I am somewhat familiar with the psyche of the Chinese people. Beijing Guoan impressed me more than I expected, and China, unlike maybe Japan, due to its vast population, should have players who are physically strong as well as skilful. It remains a mystery why the national team under-performs so much, and are not even ranked in Asia’s top 10. However, if the public can just show a little more belief and optimism in the football team, I believe they have they personnel capable of achieving a a lot more.
They are as we are say in England ‘a sleeping giant’ of the beautiful game.
I went to see Beijing Guoan in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night. This is the Asian Champions League, a competition full of terrific, modern stadia and skilful, hard working footballers. It was an interesting experience, but an experience which left me pondering many unanswered questions. The state of the Chinese national team is at an all time low. They crashed out of the World Cup qualifiers in the preliminary stages, not even making it through to the final stages of qualifying. Despite drawing away to the reigning Asian Champions, Iraq, and beating Australia, they were twice beaten by Bahrain, a country of 670 000 people, compared to the 1.3 billion population of the People’s Republic. Football is a popular sport in China, and millions of people tune in to CCTV5 (the main domestic sports channel) and Beijing yun dong TV (the Beijing sports channel) on Saturday and Sunday nights. However, they are watching European Football. German, Spanish and Italian football, are extremely popular here, and the Premiership, although not shown live on regular terrestrial channels, is also massively popular, and can be seen on Pay TV. It is also, of course, screened live over the internet.
People here love Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Chelsea, AC Milan and Inter Milan, but they can’t truly relate to any of these teams. There are no Chinese players. Sun Jihai was a regular at right back for Manchester City between 2002 and 2006, whilst Li Tie was an Everton player for a couple of seasons during the middle of the decade. In fact, in December 2003, Everton and Manchester City played out a goalless draw in front of one of the biggest ever live TV audiences to watch football. It was the only time two Chinese players have faced each other in the Premiership for opposition teams. Just for the record it was a dreadful 0-0 draw, but it the huge TV audience demonstrated the passion that the Chinese have for football if they have just a little something to shout for. It just needs that extra edge.
Football here was on the up during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The women’s team were one of the best in the world, and the men qualified for their first ever World Cup finals in 2002. However, it does have to be stated that Japan and South Korea were co-hosts, therefore pre-qualifying and leaving a far easier path to qualification for the Chinese. Hopes were high for probably the first time in history, but they crashed out in the group stages, and most disappointingly of all, failed to score. Optimism was severely dampened. Despite reaching the Asian Cup Final in 2004, losing to Japan in Beijing (not popular here), China has been on a downward spiral ever since.
So why is Chinese football so weak? How can a country of 1.3 billion people not produce 11 very good footballers? Speaking to some Chinese football fans, they state, openly and honestly, a number of reasons, although some may contradict each other a little. A popular conclusion was that ‘cultural habits’ are an issue. They believe that China has become a very individualistic society and an almost obsessive and yuppie-ish (similar to 80s Britain under Thatcher) attitude towards money has developed. This has transmitted itself onto the football pitch and perhaps answers a few questions about the possible lack of team ethos in China.
Another common explanation was the perception of footballers in China. Young people are so often judged on their ability in the classroom and wanna-be footballers are looked down upon as dreamy and lazy. This may of course, be different if the Chinese football team was successful, but its not, and a footballer is not seen as a good career move.
Another issue that was mentioned was a lack of discipline. It is thought by many, that the decent wages footballers earn (not anywhere near European salaries, but substantial in China) convince them to lead ‘party’ lifestyles and they lose their focus at a young age. It is noticeable that the China Under 17 to Under 21 age groups are traditionally quite successful, do well in major tournaments, and often create false expectations. However, the early promise they demonstrate doesn’t materialize as they shift through their 20s.
I left the game on Wednesday raving about a young Beijing Guoan player, 21 years old called Huang Bowen. He was good in possession, could hit accurate long and short passes, executed beautiful delivery on set pieces and could strike a ball beautifully. He ran the game, and the Australian team, the Newcastle Jets, couldn’t get near him. I mentioned this to more than one Chinese football fan, and they all had the same answer. They grumbled that he is still young and hungry, but he will not develop. They argued that in few years time, he will be just another average, run of the mill player who didn’t live up to his potential.
The hugely successful Beijing Olympics have shown that Chinese sport, in general, is right at the top of the world ladder. However, team sports remain an issue. Basketball is the more popular team sport for teenagers and university students right now. Yao Ming playing in the NBA for the Houston Rockets has elevated the sport’s status to massive heights. They all tune into the NBA, and football (a love of the 90s generation) has taken a back seat. Basketball, despite being a team sport is more individualistic. You can produce moment of individual skill a lot more frequently in basketball and youngsters like this as it has the ‘aethstetically pleasing’ factor attached to it. Football requires more discipline and team work, and this is just not the current trend.
The Chinese football team has unfortunately, become the butt of many jokes. It is not taken seriously, and now people just expect them to lose. This is probably a de-motivating factor to want to become a footballer and the Chinese basketball team, although far from outstanding is competitive at least. They reached the quarter finals at the Beijing Olympics and the country went mad with excitement.
Actually watching the game in Gongti (the People’s Workers Stadium) on Tuesday, I did notice a lack of passion and interest among the crowd. People seemed to be at the game just because they wanted to have a good time and to socialize, more than support their local team. Of course they are welcome to enjoy the game, but coming from the UK, I could never imagine supporters of a team clinging onto a 1-0 lead in the Champions League so relaxed and blasé. It is of course, just a game, and as long as the people watching are enjoying themselves, that’s fine, but maybe that’s where the problem lies. Football in China is not a serious business, and if it isn’t taken seriously, it will probably not improve.
Beijing Guoan won the game 2-0, and Shanghai Shenhua also won their Champions League game this week. There is room for optimism, despite the national team currently down at 100th in the world rankings. Many of the better players were Chinese, and as well as Bowen, I was also very impressed the pace and close control of the right winger, Wang Chang qing and Lu Jiang, the tidy midfield player. I thought to myself, if Wang Chang qing cannot get in the Chinese team, they must be pretty good. The ranking and results however, suggest otherwise.
I am not claiming to be an expert on Chinese football, but having lived in China for many years, I feel I am somewhat familiar with the psyche of the Chinese people. Beijing Guoan impressed me more than I expected, and China, unlike maybe Japan, due to its vast population, should have players who are physically strong as well as skilful. It remains a mystery why the national team under-performs so much, and are not even ranked in Asia’s top 10. However, if the public can just show a little more belief and optimism in the football team, I believe they have they personnel capable of achieving a a lot more.
They are as we are say in England ‘a sleeping giant’ of the beautiful game.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
WAYNE ROONEY - Living up to expectation?
If you live in the UK and like football, it is difficult not to remember the moment Wayne Rooney exploded onto our TV screens. The cries of ‘remember the name’ from the mouth of Clive Tyldesley was a truly symbolic moment. Or was it? Has the boy from Croxteth achieved his full potential?
The dipping drive which clattered in off David Seaman’s crossbar to end Arsenal’s long unbeaten run in 2002 was a moment of sheer brilliance. It prompted Arsene Wenger to say he was ‘the best English player I have seen in my time here’. For a 16 year old to do that against the best team in England was truly something to remember, but has Wayne Rooney really delivered?
After that unbelievable entrance onto the domestic scene and an exhilarating debut for England against Turkey, Rooney went extremely quiet for more than a year, perhaps not unexpected for a teenager. In his defence, he was playing for a very poor Everton team during 2003-04 which eventually finished a lowly 17th, so, it would be fair to let that period slide. However, was it a sign of things to come?
Rooney was 18 when he travelled with England to Euro 2004. There was muted expectation after a two goal cameo against Iceland just before the tournament. However, the performances he produced in Portugal were well and beyond anything we expected. He ran France (the pre-tournament favourites) ragged in the opening group game. The highlight was Rooney running from his own half, past five bewildered French players before being hacked down in the French area. The run was full of strength, pace, determination and frightening close control. David Beckham missed the subsequent penalty, but Rooney had arrived on the global stage. In an interview after, Thierry Henry (who himself was at his peak) praised Rooney. ‘Rooney, what a player’ were his words. The Merseyside teenager then went on to score two terrific goals against Switzerland, and then two even better strikes against a talented Croatia team. The first, a 25 yard thunderbolt, the second, a wonderfully executed side foot finish after some exquisite approach play.
This was England’s finest chance to win a major tournament for a long time, and they had the tournament’s form player. I don’t think I am alone in thinking, that had Rooney not hobbled off after half an hour in the quarter final against Portugal (England were 1-0 up through Michael Owen, and in firm control), England would have won that tournament. It’s all hindsight now of course, but Rooney was unstoppable that year in Portugal. He had emphatically announced himself as a world class talent and the best young player in the world.
He signed for Manchester United at the start of the following season, and, in his first game back after three months out with a metatarsal injury, he scored a stunning hat-rick. It was a majestic debut performance, capped by a wonderful free kick. He had now arrived on the European club stage. Since then however, his performances for both United and England have been patchy and inconsistent. Injuries have disrupted his progress, of that there is no doubt, and, although it’s difficult to criticize Sir Alex Ferguson, has he restricted Rooney’s progress?
In recent seasons, especially last season, Rooney has been asked to play on the flanks on frequent occasions. He has become more of a work-horse, and last season, in some games, along with Carlos Tevez, it appeared the two were there solely to create space for Cristiano Ronaldo, somewhat devaluing their own unique skills and potential contributions. History will tell us that it did all end in glory, but at this stage of his career Wayne Rooney should be the main man, but, he’s not, Ronaldo is the main man. The Portuguese star is nine months older than Englishmen, but at Euro 2004, although impressive in patches, he did not approach anywhere near the level of Rooney. So how did Ronaldo develop so much more? Did he just develop slower initially? He is not as physically strong as Rooney, so maybe this is the reason. There could be many reasons. They are all down to interpretation, but I feel Rooney’s progress has been stifled to a certain extent.
In his first season at Old Trafford, Rooney impressed. Stunning goals against Middlesbrough and Newcastle were notable highlights, and he was man of the match in the FA Cup Final defeat to Arsenal. His form dipped during the following season, like any young player’s can, but his England performances remained steady and he often carried the main threat. In fact, the national mourning that occurred after he broke his metatarsal seven weeks before the World Cup finals was a sign of the high regard he was (is) held in, or his perceived importance anyway.
Rooney wasn’t fit at the World Cup and it showed, but, following that tournament, up until Fabio Capello came into the job as England boss, his form for England was inconsistent. He has had long spells without scoring and games where he would often grow frustrated with his team mates. This is also a common feature during his games at Old Trafford. Ronaldo has become the golden boy of world football and has, to be blunt, overtaken Rooney.
The Englishman may still be more popular at Old Trafford, but is it about popularity? Does Rooney want popularity or does he want to be the best? He is a team player, that is plain to see, but he is also always demanding the ball and likes to be centre of attention. Sometimes he tries too hard, for example, the costly penalty he conceded in Moscow aided England’s exit from the Euro 2008 qualifiers. This was the same game in which Rooney also scored a spectacular volley. I feel that this is Wayne Rooney in a nutshell.
Wayne Rooney is still capable of astonishing moments of inspiration and skill on the football pitch, but is he really achieving his potential? Fellow Englishmen Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are arguably more recognized on the world stage. Gerrard, for example, nearly always appears in the UEFA Champions League teams of the year, as does John Terry, whilst Lampard has finished runner up in the World Player and European Footballer of the year lists. Rooney, of course, is younger, but has his unbelievable entrance onto the scene five years ago created false expectations?
Rooney, by now, should clearly be England’s star player, but is he? He should be one of the best five players in the world, but is he? His progress is not what it should be. He picks up silly suspensions, both home and abroad and get injured very regularly (whether his fault or not). He is often in the media spotlight and does this affect his performance?
The Merseysider has won two league titles, and will probably win another this season. He has a Champions League winner’s medal, and he has a League Cup winner’s medal. He is 23 years old, plays for one of the world’s greatest clubs and can still achieve everything he should do. Hopefully, this will include another special performance in a global championship. He may go on to win individual honours on the World or European stage, but is he at the level we expected at this stage of his career? Is he at the very, very top of the football ladder, on a par with Messi, Ronaldo, even Gerrard, to an extent? The Liverpool captain has rightly pointed out that Rooney’s talent is unequalled in the England camp, and whilst modestly playing down his own unique match-winning qualities, he is probably right. However, Rooney needs to prove this more often.
This argument is not about talent, because Rooney has that in abundance. The argument is actually what he is capable of. I personally think that he is capable of so much more.
The dipping drive which clattered in off David Seaman’s crossbar to end Arsenal’s long unbeaten run in 2002 was a moment of sheer brilliance. It prompted Arsene Wenger to say he was ‘the best English player I have seen in my time here’. For a 16 year old to do that against the best team in England was truly something to remember, but has Wayne Rooney really delivered?
After that unbelievable entrance onto the domestic scene and an exhilarating debut for England against Turkey, Rooney went extremely quiet for more than a year, perhaps not unexpected for a teenager. In his defence, he was playing for a very poor Everton team during 2003-04 which eventually finished a lowly 17th, so, it would be fair to let that period slide. However, was it a sign of things to come?
Rooney was 18 when he travelled with England to Euro 2004. There was muted expectation after a two goal cameo against Iceland just before the tournament. However, the performances he produced in Portugal were well and beyond anything we expected. He ran France (the pre-tournament favourites) ragged in the opening group game. The highlight was Rooney running from his own half, past five bewildered French players before being hacked down in the French area. The run was full of strength, pace, determination and frightening close control. David Beckham missed the subsequent penalty, but Rooney had arrived on the global stage. In an interview after, Thierry Henry (who himself was at his peak) praised Rooney. ‘Rooney, what a player’ were his words. The Merseyside teenager then went on to score two terrific goals against Switzerland, and then two even better strikes against a talented Croatia team. The first, a 25 yard thunderbolt, the second, a wonderfully executed side foot finish after some exquisite approach play.
This was England’s finest chance to win a major tournament for a long time, and they had the tournament’s form player. I don’t think I am alone in thinking, that had Rooney not hobbled off after half an hour in the quarter final against Portugal (England were 1-0 up through Michael Owen, and in firm control), England would have won that tournament. It’s all hindsight now of course, but Rooney was unstoppable that year in Portugal. He had emphatically announced himself as a world class talent and the best young player in the world.
He signed for Manchester United at the start of the following season, and, in his first game back after three months out with a metatarsal injury, he scored a stunning hat-rick. It was a majestic debut performance, capped by a wonderful free kick. He had now arrived on the European club stage. Since then however, his performances for both United and England have been patchy and inconsistent. Injuries have disrupted his progress, of that there is no doubt, and, although it’s difficult to criticize Sir Alex Ferguson, has he restricted Rooney’s progress?
In recent seasons, especially last season, Rooney has been asked to play on the flanks on frequent occasions. He has become more of a work-horse, and last season, in some games, along with Carlos Tevez, it appeared the two were there solely to create space for Cristiano Ronaldo, somewhat devaluing their own unique skills and potential contributions. History will tell us that it did all end in glory, but at this stage of his career Wayne Rooney should be the main man, but, he’s not, Ronaldo is the main man. The Portuguese star is nine months older than Englishmen, but at Euro 2004, although impressive in patches, he did not approach anywhere near the level of Rooney. So how did Ronaldo develop so much more? Did he just develop slower initially? He is not as physically strong as Rooney, so maybe this is the reason. There could be many reasons. They are all down to interpretation, but I feel Rooney’s progress has been stifled to a certain extent.
In his first season at Old Trafford, Rooney impressed. Stunning goals against Middlesbrough and Newcastle were notable highlights, and he was man of the match in the FA Cup Final defeat to Arsenal. His form dipped during the following season, like any young player’s can, but his England performances remained steady and he often carried the main threat. In fact, the national mourning that occurred after he broke his metatarsal seven weeks before the World Cup finals was a sign of the high regard he was (is) held in, or his perceived importance anyway.
Rooney wasn’t fit at the World Cup and it showed, but, following that tournament, up until Fabio Capello came into the job as England boss, his form for England was inconsistent. He has had long spells without scoring and games where he would often grow frustrated with his team mates. This is also a common feature during his games at Old Trafford. Ronaldo has become the golden boy of world football and has, to be blunt, overtaken Rooney.
The Englishman may still be more popular at Old Trafford, but is it about popularity? Does Rooney want popularity or does he want to be the best? He is a team player, that is plain to see, but he is also always demanding the ball and likes to be centre of attention. Sometimes he tries too hard, for example, the costly penalty he conceded in Moscow aided England’s exit from the Euro 2008 qualifiers. This was the same game in which Rooney also scored a spectacular volley. I feel that this is Wayne Rooney in a nutshell.
Wayne Rooney is still capable of astonishing moments of inspiration and skill on the football pitch, but is he really achieving his potential? Fellow Englishmen Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are arguably more recognized on the world stage. Gerrard, for example, nearly always appears in the UEFA Champions League teams of the year, as does John Terry, whilst Lampard has finished runner up in the World Player and European Footballer of the year lists. Rooney, of course, is younger, but has his unbelievable entrance onto the scene five years ago created false expectations?
Rooney, by now, should clearly be England’s star player, but is he? He should be one of the best five players in the world, but is he? His progress is not what it should be. He picks up silly suspensions, both home and abroad and get injured very regularly (whether his fault or not). He is often in the media spotlight and does this affect his performance?
The Merseysider has won two league titles, and will probably win another this season. He has a Champions League winner’s medal, and he has a League Cup winner’s medal. He is 23 years old, plays for one of the world’s greatest clubs and can still achieve everything he should do. Hopefully, this will include another special performance in a global championship. He may go on to win individual honours on the World or European stage, but is he at the level we expected at this stage of his career? Is he at the very, very top of the football ladder, on a par with Messi, Ronaldo, even Gerrard, to an extent? The Liverpool captain has rightly pointed out that Rooney’s talent is unequalled in the England camp, and whilst modestly playing down his own unique match-winning qualities, he is probably right. However, Rooney needs to prove this more often.
This argument is not about talent, because Rooney has that in abundance. The argument is actually what he is capable of. I personally think that he is capable of so much more.
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