By Ewah Chika.

53 goals in 116 appearances is Wayne Rooney's record for England making him the country's record goalscorer and the most capped outfield player yet even such records aren't even enough to hide the striker's loss of form for the national team of recent.

Wayne Rooney has been the most talented and consistent English striker for years after bursting unto the scene during the European tournament in 2008, terrorising defences and scoring vital goals. Rooney has been the top dog for the Three Lions as the likes of Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Andy Carroll, Danny Welbeck have all come and gone with little or no success. Although, lacking the pace and energy that once made him difficult to play against, Rooney it seems still has a lot in him to contribute to the national team. This is the opinion of some football fans but judging from his game against Slovakia in the World Cup qualifiers and the just concluded European tournament in France, it is becoming clearer that the captain is no longer up to the standard required to play at the highest level for both club (Manchester United) and country. During the tournament, manager Roy Hodgson paired the striker in central midfield with Eric Deir and although this proved a hit in the first game against Russia, it quickly turned a disaster in the later stages of the tournament as England crashed out in the round of 16 to a less quality and an unknown Iceland.


As if that wasn't enough , Sam Alladycee didn't learn from Hodgson's misfortune as he did the same thing in his first game In charge against Slovakia. This time around, England were not beaten but it took a stoppage time goal from Adam Llalana to earn three points from the game. Rooney on the day was not only slow but horrible in passing. The striker at a time even dropped deeper than Deir, collecting the ball and trying to cross from deep on the right with the ball landing 20 yards from the intended target on the right. This continued until a younger Dele Alli joined the fray of action, changing the pace of the game and earning some fouls for the team. This is not maligning Rooney for the team's poor performance upfront as Harry Kane missed two good goalscoring opportunities proving critics who feel he is over-rated right, rather it is stating the obvious that his best days are surely behind him.

"Harry Kane was isolated upfront and it killed his game. For Kane to be most effective, he needs players in and around him to link up with.

"Rooney can't pick and choose where he plays- it's not a testimonial. He is a lovely passer and technician but if he's not playing to Kane's strengths then the whole team suffers," declared Chris Sutton (former Chelsea and Blackburn striker).

It did not end there as Rooney theatrically dived in the 80th minute to win his side a penalty in desperation, an action that shows his loss of form and poor leadership considering he is the captain of the team.

"I don't think he's a striker anymore . We are trying to fit him in, but he's not a midfield player for me.

"He's spraying a few balls around, but I don't think he's being very effective. I thought he should have retired after the Euro's. It's not because he could break my record. Far from it. If he does and he plays well, fine," were the words of Peter Shilton Three Lions record appearance holder.

For now it seems this new style of playing Rooney in midfield will work for the Three Lions like it always happens but one thing we all know is that England always crash out of major tournaments after having a flawless qualifying process, as a result of the more sophisticated opponents they play in major tournaments.

Source

Mailtelegraph..com

http://mailtelegraph..com.ng/2016/09/asset-or-liability-should-wayne-rooney.html?m=1