Sir Alex Ferguson has been so concerned about Wayne Rooney's state of mind in the World Cup he has broken off from a holiday in France to ring the out-of-form striker and urge him not to succumb to what the Manchester United manager described as the "debilitating" atmosphere in the England camp.
Rooney's performances have been nowhere near the level he set for Manchester United last season, when he scored 34 goals and won a clean sweep of the player-of-the-year trophies. Ferguson believes the forward is suffering from fatigue combined with the pressure placed on him to be England's main player.
“I had that feeling,” Ferguson said. “I spoke to Wayne last week and I just said: “Relax and enjoy it.' I just sensed there was a tension in and around the camp from what I was hearing. I didn't watch the Algeria game but I just get a feeling that the expectation is affecting the England team. Sometimes the expectation can be debilitating in terms of getting the players to perform to the levels required to get through their group.” Rooney's poor display against Algeria was followed by him reacting angrily to England's supporters in Cape Town booing the players off the pitch.
The striker made his feelings known, shouting into a television camera, but has since apologised, saying the outburst was "in the heat of the moment.”
Disappointing
Ferguson pointed out there were other high-profile footballers playing below their usual standard. “It's been a disappointing World Cup but I had a feeling it would be. I have been disappointed with the quality levels, I have to say. I haven't been impressed at all.”
The reason, Ferguson believes, is that a lot of players are suffering from the sapping effects of a long season with their clubs. He did not mention Rooney by name but he did say it was worse for players from the Premier League.
“The season we have in Europe, particularly in England, is tough. Then the players all met up [with their international squads] three or four days after the season finished and they have been together for most of that time, after a long, hard season. It's a real task to ask players to perform at the best level they can after a season in England.”
Speaking on Sirius radio in New York, Ferguson said: “Germany take that month-long break in January and they always seem to do better in World Cups than anyone ever expects. Even though they are not as strong as German teams of the past, they still manage to do something in World Cups.
Ferguson went on to describe France, captained by the United defender Patrice Evra, as “terrible”, adding: “I didn't expect them to do well, but I expected better than what we have seen. There seems to be a lot of disharmony in the camp. “I think it was bad preparation for the players to know that (the manager) Raymond Domenech was leaving and that Laurent Blanc was going to be coming in after the World Cup.
They should have brought Blanc along as an over-seer or assistant just to get a look, and maybe he would have had a calming influence and brought a bit of harmony into the squad.” — © Guardian News and Media 2010
