₦airaland Forum

The other two attacking players, Lingard and Martial. These two played more in the final third.

Kagawa10:
Lol!
Only Carrick was playing the 1 in the midfield while the players infront of him were Fellaini, Rooney, Lingard and Martial behind Rashford.
Rooney and Fellaini were based in the midfield with Martial and co on the wing!

No, see their heat map above, Fellaini was the attacking midfielder while Rooney was the central midfielder. Rooney and Carrick used the ball almost in the same zone.

This is the position Rooney has played in the last three games he started. How can Rooney touched the ball 96 times and Fellaini 49 times and you say they played in the same zone? Rooney had more touches than Carrick.

Rooney 77 passes. Fellaini 37 passes

Eastbay,

Rooney had the highest touches of the ball which is 96 times. Fellaini only had 49 touches, and he still fell far below in pass accuracy. This is to tell you where each played. The heat map shows you where the players used the ball. Rooney had the highest touches and still came out with 86% pass accuracy. Although this is his worst pass accuracy since playing in midfield. He had almost 100% in one of the matches he started in midfield, he had higher pass accuracy than Carrick. My stat data is not loading fast, but I can tell Rooney has been effective in that midfield.
..............................

Another rating:
Man Utd v Leicester Detailed Player Ratings: Wayne Rooney shines, Marcos Rojo struggles
- daily Star.

Eastbay:
So you mean Rooney was like Xavi/Pirlo today? Maybe my tv needs servicing.

Bottom line is that he was not effective.

Check his heat map. He spent a good portion in front of the Leicester box. How was that a deep-lying role or #8?

Look at their heat maps:

1. Fellaini played more inside the box.

2. Rooney played in the middle of the part.

3. Carrick played in the middle of the park, but less mobile than Rooney. Rooney was most mobile with the ball among the three.

Kagawa10:
Lol!
Rojo was rated above Herrera who was rated above Martial when Martial, Rashford, Carrick and Fellaini were our best outfield players against Westham.
Can you imagine deducting point because a player lost a ball due to dribbling or playing an ambitious pass?
Abeg!

Whoscored knows when a pass is ambitious.

GBR1:
Earlier in the season, you said it was because we were creating few chances for Rooney and that's why he didn't score in many PL games. Then when his form improved actually improved early this year, you revised your theory saying that we were now creating chances for him. Rashford a 18 year old who has never played professional football came and used those same few chances we created and scored goals and that's why Rooney is failing to displace him currently. Your opinion regards Rooney has always been questionable from the start.
Now does LVG wait for other players to improve like Rooney before benching them if they play poorly? Didn't Martial get moved from the CF to the left initially even when Martial was doing well in that position?


Our play through the middle was very conservative today maybe due to Leceister's midfield as you stated. Is a midfield of Kante and Drinkwater supposed to be better than our's? Our midfield deserves limited credit because they had to play so conservative to contain an ordinary Leceister's midfield and that's why they created so few through chances for Rashford.

Sir Alex Ferguson said Kante is EPL best player this season. Drinkwater has been one of the outstabding players this season. It's not just the Leceister's midfield, but what they do to oppositions once ball get out of their defence area. Their midfield and wingers are known for carrying the ball swiftly to the opposition box. They are very effective. Our guys did well against them. Rooney positioning helped.

On the other issue, we actually were not creating enough chances in the beginning of the season. Even Rashford has not matched Rooney's record of his last 8 matches before his injury.

Dadehmola:
Even if we won, shebi we still get West Ham at Upton Park??

You fit beat your chest say we go win that match?

We blew our chances long ago jare. We just made it more painful today, considering the fact that city appear to be more interested In winning the UCL.

But we beat them there in the FA cup q/final.

Eastbay:
No sir.

Rodney's play today would suggest he had more of the ball. How can Fellaini be a #10 when he had far less touches?

Number 10 is a more advanced role than number 8.

Rooney played 8. He had the highest touches in the team. Followed by Blind and Valencia.

Kagawa10:
I meant our draw against Leicester!

I was expecting us to win. It was a key game for our top four fight.

GBR1:
Earlier in the season when he was stinking up the CF position, why did LVG fail to bench him?

Gaal was hoping he would improve, and Wilson proved worse when given the chance. But Rooney was scoring and assiting in his last 8 matches before his injury.

GBR1:
It seems you didn't get my inference earlier in my previous post. I said he played badly but it was relatively better than others. That's why he got a 6 and that was higher than most players who played badly too.

But 6 was the highest rating for any player. To me, Valencia, Martial, Rooney and Blind did very well today.

I also think to you have not been watching Leicester to know how they break fast from their midfield. If you had been watching them, you would know we did well in that department today.

Kagawa10:
Hindsight!

Not hindsight. I have always said if we could win our remaining league games we would finish top four. I also said City has a slow defence.

Kagawa10:
Whoscored always rate according to your stats.
They give point for shot taken, tackles, passing accuracy and it doesn't matter if it's useless side way or long ping to the wing etc.
I stopped taking their rating serious the moment they rated Rojo and Herrera as one of our best player against Westham in the F.A cup! I only visit there to check stat and not their rating,

Whoscored is still the most objective rating we have out there. Again when whoscored rate anyone 7.5 and above, just know the player had a good game. Particularly if the player had no Assist or a Goal or off the line defensive clearance that should ordinarily boost his rating. Moreso when the player got booked by the ref. This is why Rooney had a very good game.

I told you Herrera played well against West Ham Now you see? Whoscored is the the most reliable, it sees what the ordinary doesn't see. It uses over 200 items as criteria for rating. You close down 50/50 balls, your fast turning, everything. The can only be screwed where a defender failed in his duty but cope attacking stats, or substitution, a few things like that.

GBR1:
Let's say we even go with this as an agreement. When Rooney plays poorly, why does he not get benched like the others?

Rooney has not played poorly since his return from injury. Infact the two times he was substituted, our game fell. The first time, Lingard came on and we never moved forward. The second time, Herrera and Fellaini came on and we became clueless in midfield.

GBR1:
I can't argue against facts but what you have stated is relative. Most rankings online are saying the whole team didn't play that well so they got poor figures and it's only relative to other poor players that Rooney appeared good.
see this from Manchester Evening News for example; http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/man-utd-player-ratings-rojo-11270025

You will see even this rating put Rooney as one for the better performnce. This is why I said it's malicious to say he was poor. He did his job well of playing deep midfield.

Eastbay:
Telegraph has more clout than the mail.

No one is saying Rooney is poor.
We are just saying he didn't stand out or do anything spectacular.

On name-recognition basis, Rooney should have been the difference between both sides.
But he didn't do too much with the ball. He can't even lift his free kicks above the wall.

Looking at his pay packet, I would say he is under performing seriously.

When Rooney returned from his injury, he played the number 10 excellently well. But Gaal rearenaged his game the next match and dropped Rooney deep in midfield to accommodate Lingard in the attacking zone. This was despite Lingard not being able to match Rooney's performance in the attacking zone when he came on.

If Rooney played in the number 10, that is AM instead of CM, I would blame him for not influencing the match enough. But today he played in a zone where he needed to be careful not to go forward. He did his primary duty oustandingly well. He was played out of position.

GBR1:
81 crosses and fulham defended against it so easily

I know exactly what i'm saying regards Rooney and it's not about having an agenda against him or something. Rooney performance levels has been so abysmal in recent years such average performances are labelled good and extremely frustrating are called average. The English press would only tell lies about how well he played in the midfield because Rooney has to go the Euros and there's no way they want him starting as CF over Kane, Vardy or Sturridge. That should be England's problem not United's.

Only Martial rated higher than Rooney.

I knew people would bring the conspiracy of English press. English press are actually most critics of Rooney.

Look at whoscored, only Blind rated higher than Rooney. This is despite Rooney having a Yellow card which means some marks deducted. Even non English sites rate Rooney as one of the best.

Eastbay:
Sir,
Daily mail is the last place to refer to for meaningful analysis.
Rooney never gets criticized on that tabloid even when he commits blunders (e.g granny shagging in 2010).

I have given Telegraph and daily mail.

Telegraph do criticized Rooney. Even daily mail criticized Rooney in the build up to 2014 world cup.

I have not seen any rating that said Rooney was poor.

Kagawa10:
Lol!
Only Carrick sat in the midfield with Rooney and Fellaini infront of him as box-box midfielders!
It was a 3-man midfield sort of.

No, that formation on was wrong. Rooney operated in deep midfield just like the other previous matches. Even when you see 4-1-4-1, there is one who is to play the deeper role while the other operate as number 10.

Gaal confirmed this last time, that Rooney played as a CM. But formation showed 4-1-4-1

Wayne Rooney shines again in midfield as Wes Morgan bags vital equaliser
DAVID DE GEA 6.5 – Angrily slammed the tunnel at half-time, perhaps in annoyance at conceding, but did little wrong.

ANTONIO VALENCIA 6.5 – Did superbly for the opening goal and regularly overlapped but failed to maximise his chances.

CHRIS SMALLING 6.5 – Hit the post with an excellent header that had Schmeichel scrambling and mixed it physically.


DALEY BLIND 6 – Decent set piece deliveries but positionally suspect at times in the second half.

MARCUS ROJO 5 – Left Morgan alone for equaliser and could have conceded a penalty when bringing down Mahrez but got forward well.

MICHAEL CARRICK 7 – Produced a rare enforcer type display with well-timed tackles and his usual early balls forward.

WAYNE ROONEY 7.5 – Good again in his deep midfield role, picking passes through Leicester's line.

JESSE LINGARD 5 – Enjoyed plenty of the ball and brought the best from Schmeichel but wasted possession too often and should have done better when clean through.


MAROUANE FELLAINI 5 – Very lucky his elbow on Huth went unnoticed but Premier League season likely to be over if FA take retrospective action.
ANTHONY MARTIAL 7.5 – Took his goal extremely well and was sharp throughout, linking play and taking on his man repeatedly.

MARCUS RASHFORD 6 – Missing the dynamism that has been such a feature of his amazing entrance to first-team football.

-Daily mail.

Eastbay:
Rooney was average at best.

Didn't pose any threat on the ball. Two free kicks straight against the wall. Even those cross field diagonal balls are becoming stale.

Who says this guy is anywhere near a decent #10?

Rooney didn't play number 10. That's where you people are getting it wrong. Fellaini was our attacking midfielder while Rooney was the central midfielder. Rooney played in deep role as he did in last two games for us.

sinizia:
What he did would never have unlocked Leceister's defense.

Was it his duty to unlock the defence? Fellaini played ahead of him behind the striker. Rooney sat deep with Carrick as the box to box midfield. Sometimes Carrick played ahead of Rooney.

Hissexcellencie:
You sabi ball. A lotta niggas here criticise wrongly. Many don't know football so well.

Exactly. I am judging fairly and objectively. They just want to vent their frustration on Rooney.

sinizia:
Did you see him waste shooting chances with timid shots? He can't even shoot to save his life The only thing Rooney did good today was spreading passes from wing to wing, and it's not enough. Watch what Silva does and compare it with what Rooney did today. Even Kante was pushing attack more than Rooney from a DM position.

That one shooting decision couldn't make one have a bad game. He did things right 95%.

GBR1:
Fellani was far more useful than Rooney today and i don't know how you always manage to praise this guy who shouldn't even be in United currently. Rooney is the highest paid player in the PL FFS. Players who get paid that much should have performances that correlate with the figure.

Rooney that can't even displace a rookie in Rashford for the CF position and whose uselessness is now being accommodated in midfield and you're defending him? Do we pay him 300k every week to spray diagonal passes down the wing to Valencia?

I watched today's match in a large hotel hall. People said Rooney and Martial were our best players. Some non Man United fans.





Meanwhile Southampton 2 City 0

Kagawa10:
Whattt is thiis?
Smh!
Rooney was shite! End of!

How was he shyte?

Otamendi caught napping...

sinizia:
I'd gladly give out my lungs to get a gaffer that can bench Rooney. Rooney at the attack - useless!! Rooney in the MF - uber useless!! What's this dude even good at?

Rooney useless today? I am not sure. I though he did very well, particularly in positioning to prevent a break out of counter attacks which Leicester are known for.

chrisley024:
Our midfielders make it hard for our attackers; lazy and immobile.

I doubt that. There was need not to be over ambitious from midfield. Carrick and Rooney always ensured they played behind the ball. They also changed the direction of play from side to side in a admirable way. Fellaini who was in the number 10 and Lingard in the right wing were the disconection in our passing.

SIRcumalot:
the way the camera just highlight am just make me day laugh and this has happened before.

rojo isn't a small guy he should have Done better Morgan had another header that he almost buried with this same rojo was on him.

Morgan escaped Rojo three times to have free chances of burying the ball in the net.

chrisley024:
You should forward that to the coach.
The same question I asked. He is our best against set pieces

We conceded that goal at a time we needed to score 2-0

Their goal came from nothing.