"I certainly hope they do" - Wayne Rooney explains how Manchester United must 'cheat' if they want to beat Manchester City in FA Cup final
Wayne Rooney has laid out a cunning plan for Manchester United as they head into the FA Cup final as the underdogs, meeting cross-town rivals, Manchester City. Rooney has proposed a strategy of tactical 'cheating' that he believes will unsettle the high-flying City when the sides meet on Saturday, June 3.
Manchester United's road to Wembley has been filled with hurdles; they edged past Brighton and Hove Albion in the semi-finals on penalties. In their Premier League fixtures against City, the Red Devils received a 6-3 thumping at the Etihad but won 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
The Erik ten Hag-led United have to gear up to counter the fact that City are likely to control the ball for most of the game. According to Rooney, this leaves Manchester United with a unique advantage on the counter.
Speaking to The Times (via Mirror), Rooney stated:
"For City’s players, staff and supporters, the FA Cup final will feel no less significant than it does for United and I’m expecting an exciting, tight game. I have a feeling it’s going to go to extra-time and penalties and, for some reason, I feel United will win. I certainly hope they do. How could they do it? Well, I think Erik ten Hag has to gamble a bit."
Rooney's innovative gameplan borrows a page from the tactical book of Jose Mourinho during his initial tenure at Chelsea. He suggested that Manchester United should deploy a strategy similar to Mourinho's, where star players like Joe Cole, Arjen Robben, and Damien Duff would hold 'half' positions during the game.
"They didn’t come all the way back and defend when Chelsea were out of possession but instead cheat a bit and wait higher up the pitch in areas from which they could counterattack as soon as Chelsea won the ball back."
Such a tactic, Rooney has insisted, will pose tricky questions for City's players:
"That would ask City different questions: should John Stones still come into the midfield or would it leave that side of the pitch open for Rashford to run into? Should Kyle Walker go high or would this open up space?"
Manchester City defender Nathan Ake discusses 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford ahead of FA Cup final clash against Manchester United
Manchester City lost 2-1 at Old Trafford in January, one of only four defeats that they have suffered so far this season in the Premier League. Jack Grealish opened the scoring in the 60th minute before late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford gave the home side all three points.
In spite of the disappointing result, City defender Nathan Ake asserted that his side turned that disappointment into a catalyst for their recent superb run of form. Ake said (via Manchester Evening News):
"I think it was a learning curve. Because after the goal was given, we lost ourselves a little bit. We wanted to score straight away. We didn’t focus any more and that is why we conceded the second one and lost the game."
However, the Dutch defender insisted that the team has grown from that experience against Manchester United, learning not to capitulate under such pressure. He stated:
"I think we have learned from that moment, not to panic when things like this happen. This kind of thing is going to happen in the future as well, so it is about how we react because on this occasion we didn’t react well."
The Cityzens, under Pep Guardiola's savvy management, are standing on the brink of an incredible treble, having already claimed the Premier League title. The next in line is the FA Cup final at Wembley, before they brace themselves for a showdown with Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10th.