How Defeat At Stoke Inspired Rooney

ManUtd.com's Mark Froggatt explains why the Boxing Day defeat at Stoke City helped Wayne Rooney rediscover his scoring form ahead of the return fixture at Old Trafford...

A lot has changed for Wayne Rooney since Manchester United met Stoke City 38 days ago.

Back then, on Boxing Day, the 30-year-old had only scored twice in three months and was suddenly answering questions about his form with the Reds. Louis van Gaal even decided against starting his captain at the Britannia Stadium for “tactical reasons” and decisively named him on the bench, notably for the first time in a Premier League game during his reign as boss at Old Trafford.

As a typically sharp Staffordshire gale blew across the pitch, with enough bite and tenacity to rival Storm Henry, Rooney sat among the replacements and cut a frustrated figure while his windswept team-mates conceded first-half goals to Bojan Krkic and Marko Arnautovic. Despite a spirited display as a second-half substitute in what turned out to be a disappointing 2-0 defeat, pundits and observers wondered aloud whether United’s great talisman was in trouble. What did his future involve?

Fast forward five weeks to the present day and Rooney has provided his own answer in characteristic fashion, reaffirming his position as United’s primary goalscorer by netting six times in seven appearances since his omission from the starting XI at Stoke. He has also broken the record for most Premier League goals scored for a single club, overtook Denis Law in the club’s own scoring chart and moved to within six finishes of Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing record of 249. He’s even welcomed a third child into the world with partner Coleen, in baby Kit. How’s that for change?

Football is of course a fickle game and if reports of Rooney’s demise are rightfully deemed hasty then confirmation of his resurgence must also be written with caution, yet there is no doubting the player’s upturn in form and increasing influence on van Gaal’s team.

Evidence of his enduring quality was perfectly emphasised with the goal that started his recent run, the deft flick of the left heel that clinched a 2-1 win over Swansea City. In the context of his season it was an incredible effort. He was presumably low on confidence, repeatedly facing critics, yet produced an instinctive finish on his weaker foot that relied on technique and cojones. It was a thing of beauty.

An FA Cup third-round winner against Sheffield United followed from the penalty spot and a brace was celebrated in the dramatic 3-3 draw at Newcastle, the club Rooney has now scored 13 times against in his Reds career (Aston Villa being the only team he's scored more against). He then went ended an 11-year wait for a goal at Anfield with an opportunistic decider that was wildly celebrated by 2,763 fans in an away end that included injured trio Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Michael Carrick. “It’s been a long time since that happened for me, so I’ll be selfish today and enjoy that one the most,” Wayne admitted.

Rooney’s scoring form was temporarily halted by the 1-0 defeat to Southampton, yet his shooting boots were laced up for last Friday's trip to Derby County in the FA Cup and his whipped effort into the top corner to open the scoring highlighted his renewed confidence. He may not have even attempted such an audacious effort earlier this campaign and the timing of it flying past Scott Carson on 16 minutes, on a night when the pressure was wholly on United, was absolutely perfect. It relaxed the players, eased the fans' nerves and set the tone for a relatively comfortable win.

Van Gaal has repeatedly expressed his belief that Rooney can score 20 goals or more as United’s main striker and that much-publicised yardstick was often cited during the player's baron run, yet it suddenly looks increasingly likely he'll achieve that target with 13 strikes already to his name ahead of Tuesday’s reverse fixture with Stoke. Reaching that number would also see him break Sir Bobby’s historic club record that has stood since 1973, and just one more goal would also level last season's tally of 14.

Given how Rooney has forged a habit of following goal droughts with prolonged scoring runs throughout his varied United career, it would take a brave man to bet against him defying his critics once more.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be considered as representative of Manchester United Football Club.

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