Should Wayne Rooney Start For England At EURO 2016?

The Rooney debate. Let's get into it. We have one opinion for Wayne and one against him. We'll start with the opinion that Wayne should start for England in France this summer.

For:

I couldn't imagine a better complement to the wonderful player that Harry Kane has become. There is no competition between these two, or Rooney and Vardy, they play in different positions and will form one heck of a partnership in the England starting line-up. Kane has looked in great touch lately, and whilst his international games to goal is worse than Wayne's, at 4 goals in 10 games compared to 51 in 109, he is in a great run of form and the two will slot together perfectly at the Euros, with Kane fulfilling his number 9 role and Wayne dropping off of him and playing in his favoured number 10 role. We can finally see the Wayne Rooney that we haven't really seen since LvG came in and forced him to play out of position. We saw a brief glimpse of what he can do before his injury, but his past couple of seasons in the Premiership have been disappointing, nobody can deny that, but when coached by a quite frankly seeming incompetent manager in the Dutchman, it's no surprise that he isn't banging in 30 goals a season like he did not long ago because Sir Alex Ferguson actually decided to play Rooney in his preferred position, and reaped the rewards. 

It also seems that England managers get their fair share of productivity from Wayne, as the all-time leading goalscorer for England finds the net every other game or so. But he is more than just one of the most talented players to have put on an England shirt, he also has experience, something which this exciting, young England side lacks. I love this new-look side, but if you expect them to go to the Euros and perform at their best, they need their captain on the pitch, playing alongside them and telling them what to do. It worked wonders in the qualifications where Rooney led England to 10 wins in 10 games, and with the form of some of the players around him; Kane, Alli, Vardy and Sterling for example, he can help them in many more ways than playing that killer through ball or raising the England goal-scoring record even higher. For those that deny his goal-scoring ability, it is quite remarkable how short your memories are.

Whilst a poor start to the season can't be denied, I would say that his 11 goals in 14 appearances for England since the World Cup makes him a shoe-in to start. Yes, we should pick on club form, that's how players such as Vardy, Kane and Alli have been able to shine on the international stage, but when Wayne plays this well on the international stage, when he gets played in his rightful position, it would seem a very bizarre choice to drop him, especially when he will have the opportunity to play his game to an even better ability with good, in-form players around him. 

When Roy Hodgson said "Wayne Rooney is Wayne Rooney", I don't think he could have put it better. This phrase got a lot of negative attention, but in reality there are so many factors, so many qualities that go into making Wayne Rooney the player that he has become, that it is difficult to list them all. Granted, club form is not one of his traits that he currently possesses, but what Wayne does have is that special something, that ability to have an impact at any level. Whether guiding his team to Champions League glory, or bringing his team Premiership glory, there is no denying Wayne's class, and he will help strike that perfect balance in the first team when he brings his winning experience and mentality to the pitch. This is the perfect time to play Wayne, where he can guide the brilliant youngsters, whilst also having an outfit around him that play decent, attacking football and will bring out the best in one of England's best ever players.

Against:

“Well, Wayne Rooney is Wayne Rooney”, the answer Roy Hodgson gave when asked about strikers vying for selection in his Euro 2016 squad. That statement was unnecessary confirmation of the fact that Hodgson picks Rooney, amongst others, on past deeds and reputation. His selection of Rooney as captain speaks volumes of his trust in the man, the same man who can be seen screaming at the referee on a weekly basis. Whilst not alone in that respect, it hardly sets a good example to teammates and fans alike. But it is Rooney’s place in the starting line-up that is the subject of this article, not his role as captain.

Before injury hit, Rooney had a season of two halves. In his first 10 PL games, the Merseysider netted just 2 goals and no assists. He recorded a low conversion rate of 9%, compared to percentages in the mid-teens in previous seasons. He created just one chance per game, recorded his lowest number of completed passes per game and had the least shots per game, all compared to the previous 3 seasons. Since then, Rooney has scored an additional 5 goals in 12 games and provided 4 assists. No doubt the improvement was significant but injury curtailed any further goal scoring. 

Even with the flurry of goals before his injury, the stats for the season are not those belying a supposedly top class player. It is unfair to compare him to Messi and Ronaldo, both of whom score an obscene amount of goals and provide numerous assists. One bracket down, Rooney still does not compare to players such as Bale, Suarez, Neymar, Muller and Lewandowski.  Rooney has been on the slide for a number of years now, his goals per game ratio was 0.44 in the 12/13 season before jumping up to 0.59 the following year (a season where he only played 13 games) before slumping to 0.36 last season. This season it is a mere 0.32. His shot accuracy (47%) is the lowest it’s been since 2012.  Purely based on statistics, Rooney is a man on downward spiral. However, statistics aren’t everything…

The Man United striker is now 30 years old, he does not possess the pace he once had. Most football fans would agree with the notion that he is not a frontman anymore, better suited to the number 10 role. LVG doesn’t abide by this and chooses to push Rooney up top, much to the confusion of many fans and most likely Anthony Martial too.  Rooney is famed amongst fans for dropping deep and looking for the ball, hounding the opposition (an idea partially opposed by his average of 1.75 defensive actions per game over the last 4 seasons). I concede that the psychological effect of seeing your captain and striker making a nuisance of himself can galvanise the team. Great traits for a captain, but not enough basis for selection. 

For England, his place up top is under serious pressure. Harry Kane is the main threat and already has over 20 PL goals this season, after his breakthrough year in 14/15. To pick Rooney as a 9 over Kane would be criminal. The Spurs man is a natural finisher, always in the right place at the right time, a skill that cannot be taught. On top of that, Vardy has been electric this season, displaying the searing pace that Rooney has never had. There is no substitute for pace and Vardy would trouble any defence in the world. Kane bolstered his claim on the 9 shirt in Berlin, scoring a terrific goal with an aptly-timed Cruyff turn. Vardy, making do with  a place on the bench, came on to score an audacious goal and endeavoured to set up Alli for what should have been a simple goal. The Leicester man showed no fear against formidable opponents, him and Rooney share the same doggedness. Sturridge and Welbeck have both been hampered by injury this season but have shown form of late. The former is a deadly finisher whilst Welbeck is more often deployed as a wide player under Hodgson. Rooney is certainly not a viable option as the sole player up top. 

So, should Hodgson play Rooney at 10? Firstly, he doesn’t play there for his club so will need to adjust his game.  More importantly, the figure of Ross Barkley provides staunch competition. Barkley excites all those who watch him, that is not in question and is hugely creative but not without mistakes. Barkley has been around for a few seasons now, breaking through at Everton much like Rooney. On form, Barkley pulls the strings with ease and creates havoc for the opposition. The rise of Dele Alli this season has also provided another option, with the young playmaker forming a brilliant relationship with Harry Kane, a fact Hodgson should not overlook. His talent is beyond doubt, though his lack of experience may be a potential negative in the eyes of Hodgson. Alli lived up to the hype against Germany, the glaring miss the only blot on his otherwise gleaming scorecard. Rooney has a greater chance of playing at 10, than striker but Alli and Barkley are doing their best to oust him. One of, if not both, Barkley and Alli should play.

Supporters of Rooney highlight his big tournament experience as hugely important. The experience of failing in major tournaments doesn’t count for much, he famously got red carded in a crucial game for lashing out at a clubmate. Whilst he is used to the pressure of the big occasions, it doesn’t mean he plays any better in them, scoring only 6 goals in 17 tournament games. His importance in qualification is beyond question, scoring 30 in 49. But if the England team is as good as the media makes them out to be, these qualification games against mostly weak opposition should be easily won, making Rooney nothing more than a flat track bully. 

In my opinion, Rooney is not deserving of a place in the starting lineup. Whilst him being in the wider squad would be fair, his form does not warrant a starting role, despite his rare flashes of brilliance this season. Hodgson and LVG both shape their teams around him, a tactic only acceptable if the player is world class or the best player in the team. Rooney is neither of these, his appearance in the XI would not detract from the team but it certainly would not optimise it. A place in the squad would provide assistance for younger players, he can help out in that respect.  I hope, for England’s sake, that Rooney rediscovers the form he once displayed as a youngster but I fear inclusion in this year’s tournament team is the wrong option.  When Rooney plays in the Euros, a seemingly unavoidable fact under Hodgson, I hope he proves me wrong. However, England’s spirited comeback against Germany without Rooney was their best game under Hodgson, a fact he admitted himself. With growing pressure on the manager to play the youngsters and not shoehorn Rooney into the team, will the skipper be there on the pitch against Russia on June 11th? 

Written by @hobsonm and @JamesFullbrook