Rooney’s Return to D.C. United
On July 14th 2018, England’s all time leading goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, made his debut for D.C. United. He played 4000 minutes in the MLS over the next 2 seasons, picking up 23 goals and 13 assists. His radar profile shows he couldn’t do much running, but when he did, he made it count.
Fast-forward 4 years to the day, and Wayne Rooney is waiting to make his debut for D.C. United yet again, this time as manager. His pedigree in management isn’t nearly as impressive as his playing career, but relegation at a bankrupt Derby County undersells the impressive job he did there. Despite being limited to free agent signings and having 21 points deducted, Rooney kept the Rams competitive all year, with a -8 goal difference after 46 games more befitting of a midtable side. Derby predominantly played in a 4231 formation last season. The team ranked 9th out of 24 for average possession, which considering their league position, speaks to an effort to limit the opponents opportunity to score by controlling games . The team did however rank 21st in goals scored and shots taken so this possession was not dangerous. Whether this attacking weakness can be attributed to Rooney or just the lack of quality in a troubled Derby side remains to be seen.
D.C. have largely lined up in 523 or 532 formations this year, traditionally seen as defense focused lineups. They have done nothing to dissuade this notion with their attack radar showing numbers ranking from below average to terrible. A low pass completion percentage combined with very low shot numbers indicates a direct side with little control or creativity. Defensively, the most eye-catching aspect is the very high pressing values for low PPDA and opposition pass completion, as well as quite high pressure success percentage. In combination with the attacking numbers, this suggests a team which is more focused on pressing than it is in creating. Sacrificing some attack for defense is not a bad strategy per se, but it needs to result in an actual defense. That these high pressing numbers only lead to a below average defense in xG conceded indicates that this team does not have the right balance in it’s XI. Looking at their most regularly used midfielders, an obvious pattern is clear to see.
Djeffal, Durkin and Canouse all have high pressing numbers but remain below average in attacking contributions, dribbling and pass completion %. Despite providing energy, fielding 2 or 3 of these defensive midfielders at once, in front of 3 center backs, is an obvious way to sacrifice control of the midfield and severely limit the attack. Since there is not much coming from the midfield, D.C. need a lot not only a lot from their wingbacks, Smith and Gressel, in terms of width but creativity too. They rank 2nd and 4th in terms of xA for D.C. so the poor attack can not be fairly blamed on them. Are the forwards to blame in addition to the midfield setup?
Well, Taxi Fountas is leading the goalscoring charts for D.C., becoming the fastest player to reach 10 goals in their history, so I don’t think so. He has excelled at getting in the box from deep , and taking shots while still offering solid creativity and work rate. He ranks 3rd in the league for xG per 90, which is even more impressive when considering how poor D.C.’s attack is in general.
Estrada and Kamara have been the most commonly used forwards (since Edison Flores’ departure) and offer contrasting profiles. Estrada leads the team in xA per 90 while offering some work rate leading the line whereas Kamara just offers aerial ability and more focus on shooting. Their levels are respectable in a weak team, but clearly need more help.
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Ultimately I believe that D.C. United’s sole focus on pressing combined with the fielding of too many defensive midfielders and center backs has been to the detriment of team performance. The 5 at the back formations have lead to high pressing numbers, low numbers of shots taken, poor game control and a position at the bottom of the table. How Wayne Rooney will look to address these issues, whether by switching to 4 at the back and adding a creative midfielder or an extra forward or introducing a shorter passing game to increase possession and game control, remains to be seen.
Long days, and pleasant nights.
