How can England get the best out of Rooney?

Written by James Beckett Sunday, 06 June 2010 18:28

England World Cup Blog

While the recent news has been dominated by the injury to Rio Ferdinand, England's star player Wayne Rooney has been surprisingly anonymous in the news in the last few weeks. However with England's opening game against the USA just six days away, expect Rooney to dominate the headlines again.

It's not at all surprising that Rooney dominates the news like he does, because as a nation we are well aware just how important the former Everton man is to our chances in South Africa. But this gives Fabio Capello a problem, just how do you get the best out of Rooney?


In qualifying for South Africa, Rooney scored nine goals, seven of these came while he was partnered by Emile Heskey, so the obvious option for Capello would be to stick to what he knows best. However in the warm up games, Rooney only played a few minutes alongside Heskey, so it is doubtful whether Capello will give Heskey a starting role in South Africa.


Another option would be Peter Crouch, who the started the friendly win over Mexico alongside Rooney. The two looked a fairly good partnership, but you feel that when playing with Crouch, Rooney has a tendency to drop deep and look for the ball, and this is not where Rooney is at his destructive best.


The other option as far as strike partner goes, would be Jermain Defoe, but the two didn't seem to gel after starting the friendly against Mexico together, and Defoe was substituted at half time, so it is doesn't appear whether this would be the best option for Capello.


An alternative could be playing Rooney on his own up front, and personally this is the option that I think Capello will go for. Not only does a 4-5-1 formation give Rooney the opportunity to be at the spearhead of any England attacks, it also gives Gerrard the chance to play inside, rather then wide left, again a position where he is more effective.


Rooney has played most of his club season in the 4-5-1 formation, and we all know how successful his club season has been, and this should be a key factor when Capello chooses his side/ formation, because England will only achieve something in South Africa if Rooney can play well. While England aren't a one man team, Rooney is vital to how we play, and Capello should be picking a side to get the best out of his talisman.

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