England, Manchester United, Premier League, World Cup 2010

The conundrum facing Fabio Capello as he prepares for England’s World Cup qualification campaign is not just the positions of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, but more importantly how to get the best out of the enigmatic Rooney. Since he exploded onto the England scene on his full debut against Turkey in 2003, Wayne Rooney’s England form has been as inconsistent as that of the national team and that the two should have such a correlation is of no coincidence. Along with Gerrard, Rooney remains England’s brightest talent and it is his performances that England may have to rely on to secure success for Cappello.

Although the diminutive scouser has a decent goalscoring record of around one goal every 2.5 games in all competitions since joining United, he is by no means prolific for England. When compared to the goalscoring records of his England colleagues Michael Owen (40 goals in 88 games) and Peter Crouch (14 goals in 28 games) it is clear that Rooney is not England’s greatest threat in-front of goal with only 14 goals in 44 matches.

Great sides in the past have built their success around key players. Brazil’s dominance of world football between 1958 and 1970 was largely down to the abilities of the most famous number 10 of them all, Pele. Alfredo Di Stefano was another number 10 to dominate football in the late 1950’s, winning 5 European Cups and 8 La Liga titles with Real Madrid and who can forget the success of Argentina’s belligerent number 10 at the 1986 World Cup, Diego Maradona. Never before or since has a World Cup victory been a direct result of the performances of just one man.

Zinedine Zidane is the most recent number 10 to have had a similar impact for his club and country, winning every accolade in the modern game from the World Cup and European Championship with France in 1998 and 2000 to the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2002 and the World Player of the Year on 3 occasions.

The United man has some way to go before he can emulate these colossus of the modern day game and to hold Wayne Rooney in the same regard as these great players is premature, although the potential is there. The four players mentioned all played the classic role of a number 10, which in turn allowed their best skills to shine through on the pitch.

This magical role is not just a number on a team-sheet, it is a position behind a set of strikers or as a secondary withdrawn striker who can attack from deep and dictate the play. The only question surrounding Rooney’s suitability for this role is not his inclination, but his temperament.

Having missed key games for club and country through injury and indiscipline in recent seasons, there are still doubts if Rooney can achieve his full potential in an England shirt. There are also question marks around his ability to execute managerial instruction and Rooney does have a tendency to chase the ball and be dragged out of position, immediately affecting the team’s shape and effectiveness.

A free role for Rooney to prove his class in a five man midfield for England could be the answer for Capello. Only time will tell if the Italian is brave enough to make the selection.

Tags: Argentina, Champions League, England, Fabio Capello, France, Manchester United, Michael Owen, Real Madrid, Wayne Rooney, Zinedine Zidane

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