Monday, February 6th, 2012
Sir Alex Ferguson claims that the 2014 World Cup will be where Wayne Rooney will shine. The striker had a dire World Cup after being knocked out by Germany but the boss admits that 2014 Brazil will be his turn.
The England striker failed to score all four matches in the World Cup (including Group Stages and Last 16) and looked like a shadow of the player who shone for Manchester United last season as England slipped out of the WC after being trashed 4-1 by Germany.
The United manager was “not totally surprised” by England’s failure – but believes Rooney will come back better and stronger for the experience and thinks he will impress at the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Ferguson explained: “I think there was such expectation on him. There was talk he was going to be the player of the tournament. Don’t forget, that was the prelude to the whole thing – he was going to be the star, he was going to outshine them all – (Lionel) Messi, (Cristiano) Ronaldo. So that level of expectation comes into it. And he’s not got great experience of [playing in] the World Cup really. You wait, in four years’ time you’ll see a different player.”
The Scot admitted he was “baffled” by England’s poor form in South Africa.
He said: “That is going to be one of the imponderables – what has really happened and why are they [England] not getting better form. I watched their games and I was baffled by what I saw. Expectation was a big thing. They qualified from a group which you’d have to say was a million to one they wouldn’t qualify from. So it was an easy passage into the finals.
“Maybe it would have been better if England had been in a tougher [qualifying] group. They’d have earned the right to be one of the favourites and it would have helped that they’d played good teams before they got there.”
The manager agrees with people believing that Germany benefited their mid-season break – and admitted the mentality of Joachim Loew’s team works in favor. The Germans followed their defeat of England with a 4-0 humbling of Argentina which put them into the semi-finals.
United were knocked out of last season’s Champions League by a German team – Bayern Munich – and the Scot said: “The history they’ve got (in Germany) is quite incredible. That organised mentality they have, the belief in themselves, it carries them a long way. None of the English teams have any experience of playing in a semi-final at a World Cup. The German mentality is ‘we are always in the semi-finals’.
“Plus the fact they get a month’s rest in January – it must help. All the England team are playing in (the Premier League) so they’re all affected [by the lack of a winter break].”
However, Ferguson is tipping Holland – who take on Uruguay in Tuesday’s first semi-final – to win the World Cup.
He added: “I don’t think they have played anywhere near their best form.”
Tags: England, Ferguson, Manchester United, Rooney