Rooney Magic Crucial

There is going to be a huge weight of expectation hanging around the neck of Wayne Rooney for possibly his biggest game of the season.

All of the talk in the build up to this game has been about how United are going to cope with the attacking talent that Barcelona can boast. However, United also have a great striker who Barca must keep tabs on if they do not want to end up with eggs on their faces.

Rooney now plays in a role just behind the main striker which means he can be more influential in pockets of space throughout the team. This will also be vital if United need to have an extra man in the middle of the team to stop the Spanish champions from having so much of the ball.

Rooney will play the ‘Messi role’ in the United side as he’ll drop deep if he needs to come and get the ball. He will move around in the pockets of space to make it difficult to pick him up and Javier Hernandez will play on the shoulder of the Barca defence to stop the Spanish side from getting too high up the field.

Rooney is also going to be a big threat in terms of his aerial game. He is a very strong player which will allow him to tussle with the biggest Barca defenders at corners and free kicks. His ability to head the ball could end up making the difference at the end of a tight game that may only be separated by a single goal.

People often forget how good Rooney is at striking a dead ball. He has scored numerous goals for United all season long from free kicks and penalty situations. If he is given the chance to hit a free kick just outside the Barcelona penalty area then he will relish it and will go all out to stick the ball in the goal.

He now has enough experience to help other members of the United team. He will play a key role in keeping everyone calm and collected and he may be looked to as the match goes into extra time and possible penalties.

Rooney will have to keep his head in the face of Barcelona gamesmanship if he gets rattled or puts in a bad tackle early in the game. The Spanish side will only want one chance to try and get a player as good as Rooney sent off.