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When you hear the names of Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy, you immediately remember all the great things the two have done for their clubs, with Rooney being responsible for much of Manchester United’s recent successes and Vardy leading Leicester City to an unexpected and thoroughly surprising Premiership title last season. While Rooney has certainly not been what he used to be for a few seasons now, the player we are looking at early into the 2016/17 season is merely a shadow of Wayne Rooney from the good old days. Jamie Vardy on the other hand ended last season on his all-time high and everyone expected him to keep on going, but like Rooney, Vardy has been somewhat unnoticeable in Leicester’s early games. Rooney Flopping at United Wayne Rooney will no doubt go down in Manchester United history books as one of the players who contributed the most to the club, having scored an amazing 179 goals for the club over the course of his 12 years with United. That said, modern football does not appreciate players who try to live on past glory, and for Rooney this is already starting to show, as he is finding a spot in the starting 11 of Mourinho’s United side less and less often. Having done basically nothing this season, some of the fans have already started asking why he is being played at all, while many others still support their captain and believe he should be given a chance to show his worth. The real question is, why is Wayne Rooney not performing the way he used to? The answer to this may be his age, as the player is now 30 years old, but looking at players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is 5 years older and still performing at top level makes you wonder if there is something else going on. In reality, Rooney may just be fed up with football and it seems he has lost the competitive spirit which once saw him run up and down the field, seemingly helping his team in all positions. What’s more, years of playing this way are bound to tire anyone out, and Rooney may be having any range of both physical and other issues that are stopping him from performing at the very top levels. Vardy Following In Rooney’s Footsteps It would appear that Jamie Vardy, last season’s best goalscorer for champions Leicester City has been doing his best to replicate the failure of Wayne Rooney to shine this season, as the player is still goalless in the Premiership this season, his only goal coming in the FA Community Shield defeat to Manchester United. Jamie scored 24 goals in Premiership last season, only one less than Harry Kane who was the league’s top goal scorer and being unable to score for his side in 7 opening matches has left Leicester in a state of distress, currently sitting in 12th position with 8 points and far from the form their fans were hoping for. Naturally, it was silly to expect Leicester to repeat last season’s performances, but everyone is wondering why is Jamie Vardy not scoring? Is it the lack of N’golo Kante in the team that is opening fewer chances for a counter attacks or has the player lost his edge during the summer break. Has winning the Premier League made Vardy cocky and reckless or is he simply experiencing a kind of a dry spell most strikers come by every once in a while. Be as it may, Jamie Vardy needs to recover his fitness and start scoring once more if Rainieri’s side are to have any realistic chances of finishing the season in a respectable position for a team who have just won the title. Player Performances Affecting Their Teams Performances of both Jamie Vardy and Wayne Rooney for their clubs so far this season have left the teams in quite a bad shape. While United may have done without Rooney, Mourinho wanted to play him on a regular basis in the early rounds, and many fans are blaming the team’s failures on his performances. Jamie Vardy on the other hand was and is crucial to any success that Leicester City may have, and Leicester’s current situation is in big part due to his poor performances. United currently sit sixth with 13 points, 6 positions above Leicester City with just 8. Both are significantly trailing pack leaders Manchester City in first at 18 points. Do you believe Rooney and Vardy are to blame for their teams’ failing so far this season? What do you think is causing this drop in form and can they turn it around before it is too late? All of these and more are questions that need to be answered soon and we are sure Rainieri and Mourinho are both already actively looking for answers. |
