No place for Roo
United striker seems to be left out of Southgate’s plan entirely
LONDO N :
Whether it is in ntentional or not, Ga areth Southgate seem ms to damn WayneW Rooney almo ost every time he speaks.
A f ter encouraging performances from Dele Alli and Adam Lallana in Wednesday’s defeat by Germany, Southgate noted England had not always had players in those positions with the athleticism and work-rate required to press the opposition so tirelessly.
He is talking about Rooney’s position, of course.
Before the match, the England manager had stressed the importance of fitness and recovery as a key to success during international breaks.
It is not exactly in tune with Rooney’s boozy antics in the team hotel after the victory over Scotland in November.
And when asked whether the English FA might afford Rooney the same sort of “testimonial” night which the Germans had given the retiring Lukas Podolski in Dortmund on Wednesday, he decided his press briefing was over and did not answer the question.
There will surely be no such sentimental send-off for Rooney, no fanfare, no video montages and no standing ovations.
That may seem harsh for a man who is his country’s all-time record scorer, has won more caps than any other English outfield player and is just six short of Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances.
But Southgate is not willing to indulge a player who does not fit into his ethos of an ultra-professional, athletic and vibrant young team.
Of course, it would be a nonsense to celebrate a 1-0 friendly defeat as the dawning of a golden new era.
Especially when England won so brilliantly in Germany under Roy Hodgson just a year ago and it all proved worthless.
And especially with such a glaring dearth of talent in central midfield.
Realising he had lost his old explosiveness, Rooney’s own ambition had been to reinvent himself in the middle of the park – and Hodgson played him there at the Euros.
But Jose Mourinho torpedoed that idea as soon as he walked through the door at Old Trafford.
He insisted from his first press conference that the Manchester United captain was a forward and never a midfielder.
Mourinho’s own phasing out of Rooney from United’s first team made it easier for Southgate to do the same.
England’s new manager knew what he wanted for his team as soon as he succeeded Sam Allardyce on a four-match caretaker basis. He knew he did not want Rooney.
There is none of the muddled thinking that affected England before and during Euro 2016.
Wednesday’s 3-4-3 formation fits the personnel at his disposal, especially when Danny Rose returns to fitness as a left wingback and John Stones is installed as a ball-playing central-defender.
Southgate wants tactical flexibility and will now often employ a back three, especially against stronger opposition. There is a determination to pick on the basis of form and attitude, rather than reputation or name.
It was not just Rooney omitted from this squad, but Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott too.
It is the least “starry” Three Lions squad in living memory and Southgate’s desire to strip away the cult of the England captaincy is also commendable.
He will name his captain on a match-by-match basis.
Tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania will see a fourth different skipper in as many matches, while the man most likely to take the armband on a regular basis, Harry Kane, has yet to play for him because of injuries.
This policy of downgrading the captaincy has allowed Southgate to nudge the 31-year-old Rooney through the exit door with a minimum of fuss.
He will not publicly rule out a comeback, because there is just no need to.
The deposed captain simply will not be selected and soon people will stop asking questions about him.
There will be no “ceremonial” appearances, such as those handed to David Beckham as a substitute at the tail-end of his England career.
That Scotland game will now almost certainly be Rooney’s last.
Dele, Lallana and Ross Barkley are playing regularly and well for leading English Premier League clubs and are full of the energy Rooney has lacked for some time.
There has been no macho posturing and no outspoken statements from Southgate.
There is just a quiet determination to move forward without England’s most famous current footballer.