Wayne Rooney: The Tactics
Tom Sleeman has a look at Wayne Rooney's tactical identity in his career as a manager so far.
By Tom Sleeman
Wayne Rooney boasts a 26.1% win percentage in club management across spells at Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City. It would be fair to say that former England and Manchester United legend Rooney was not the name most Plymouth Argyle fans were clamouring for after confirming their Championship status on the final day of the season just three weeks ago.
Nonetheless, Rooney's appointment comes at a very decisive time in both the 38-year-old and the club's history. For the Liverpudlian, it provides a chance at redemption after a brief and bleak spell at Birmingham, and indeed a chance to show that he has the all important qualities required in order to be a successful manager. For Argyle, the importance of hiring the right candidate has never been higher, with even more scrutiny placed upon it following the disastrous, short-lived spell of Ian Foster, following Steven Schumacher's unexpected departure to Stoke City in December 2023.
During his time in management, Rooney has often tinkered with formations, using 4-3-1-2 and 5-4-1 formations during his time with Derby and DC United. Utilising a 4-3-3 predominantly during his tenure with Birmingham, his core philosophy in each of the systems has remained the same.
The former Everton man places a high emphasis on utilising his full-backs when transitioning between defence and attack. Starting in a stationary 4-3-3 possession, the full-backs will push forward, creating a high line, sitting almost alongside the forwards in order to stretch the opposition and create gaps to play the ball through. In what becomes almost a 2-3-5 formation, defensive midfielders will drop in and come wide in order to fill the gaps created by the vacated full-backs.
While this creates the foundations for an impressive counter-attacking side, there is no doubt that this leaves his side themselves exposed to a counter and in the middle of the park they are the most vulnerable. Defensively, Rooney attempts to compact his team so as to limit the space in which opposition players can create chances, and look to exploit the high press teams create in response to this approach.
The Midlands side failed to show many of the attacking ideas and defensive stability that Rooney bases his coaching philosophy on, scoring just 15 times, and conceding twice as many during his 15 game spell. His side managed just three clean sheets, a 1-0 away win over Cardiff and two 0-0 results against Bristol City and Rotherham, respectively.
This will be something the former Manchester United man should have high on his priority list with the Pilgrims as only relegated duo Rotherham and Huddersfield as well as 19th placed Blackburn Rovers conceded more goals last season (70). If Argyle wish to remain in the Championship again, this level of defensive performance is not sustainable.
At DC United, a lot of this attacking emphasis depended on aerially dominant players. Rooney was aided by this due to former Liverpool forward Christian Benteke. DC averaged 35.34 aerial duels per 90 (the third highest in the MLS) and were the most efficient in the league, winning 55.6%. Whilst this percentage accounts for aerial dominance across the pitch, it highlights how important this aerial dominance is to Rooney.
Without a forward that perhaps fits this profile, it could well be a priority for Rooney during the summer transfer window. Whilst both fantastic players in their own right, Jay Stansfield doesn't fit the target man mould, and winger Sikiri Dembele was much more of an in your face 1-v-1 winger than traditional crosser of the ball.
His paltry two wins in 15 games looks poor on the surface, and it would seem that the poor results were at least in part due to a lack of adaptation from his players. Rooney had to coach John Eustace’s side, built to play a different way, and a group unimpressed by the sacking of their previous manager. At Argyle, the situation will be different, given Rooney has a full transfer window to adapt the squad to his needs.
Rooney is very modern in terms of his expectations from a goalkeeper. Whilst a lot of his play requires direct, long balls in order transition the play quickly, the Englishman expects his keepers to be able to distribute the ball with their feet. Something that is a staple of any competent modern football team.
“Goalkeepers are so important nowadays. For me, Ederson is the best in the world for how he dictates a game,” Rooney said. “He has more touches than outfield players but also creates opportunities to score goals.
“I am doing a lot of work with the goalkeepers here to try and change their mindset on that. It’s not natural, sometimes, for goalkeepers. But I am aware if my keepers can’t get to that then we have to adapt.”
Whilst most managerial tactics sound good on paper, it will heavily depend on how well Rooney is able to convey this message and get his players to buy in that will determine his success. This is something Ian Foster was completely unable to do, and was clearly one of the key reasons for his failure.
In Plymouth Argyle, the fanbase and Simon Hallett, he will have a support network that is far more understanding and patient than at other clubs he has worked for. Ultimately, not only will this appointment prove vital for Argyle's future, but also for Rooney's own career as a manager. If he wants to really make it, it has to be now.