Why Azza, and Not Wazza, Holds The Key to England's World Cup Hopes

"He is in the category of the best players and the stage is set for him to deliver because he can be England's main man and he can shoot us to glory, and the players around him make sure he's aware of it."-Steven Gerrard on Wayne Rooney

"On the pitch, Rooney is the key. I like him - he is a great player, very strong, with a lot of energy. He works hard for the team, holds the ball up well and he is a formidable striker.If he steers clear of injury, England will have a good chance of doing well." - Lionel Messi

"Do I think Rooney is the key man for England? I do. You talk about there being six or seven teams that can win it. There are six or seven players who are world-class who can win the title of the best player at the World Cup and Rooney is certainly one of them. To lose him would be a big blow. I hope he stays fit." -Former England manager Steve Mclaren

“Wayne Rooney is a major player for them [England]. He is one of the best players in the world. His technical and mental skills have a major effect on his team, he is simply extraordinary. " - Marcelo Lippi 

"I think that Spain's midfielder Xavi and England's Wayne Rooney have what it takes to put their teams in contention."- Italy's Andrea Pirlo

."Rooney is the one player that England cannot afford to be without. Wayne, with the season he has had for Manchester United and England, needs to be playing.'' - Geoff Hurst

The hopes and expectations of thousands of people around the world rest on the shoulders of a certain Wayne Rooney. Is it fair to thrust so much on a single person? Is he the only one  who has to step up for England?

First, lets analyse the reasons why so much has been said about this young lad and how he managed to step up for Manchester United after the departure of Cr7 and Tevez

 How is it possible that he managed to score 34 goals from 44 games with a scoring ratio of 0.78 per game, when he could only manage to score at the rate of 0.40 in the previous five seasons?

We can split Wayne's stay at United as -

1- 2004-2009

2- 2009-2010

2004-2009- Wazza- The creator

The Rooney that we saw in this period was the supporter. He was forced to sacrifice his position to the in-form Ronaldo. Rooney was either out wide, getting the ball into the box or running back to cover for Ronaldo or on the edge of the box trying to slip a ball through.He never had the opportunity to get into the finishing positions

2009-2010- Wazza- The finisher 

Ronaldo's departure in the summer of 2009 meant that it was time for Rooney to step up his game.

As expected, Wayne Rooney was the focal point of United's attack. Soon, Sir Alex changed his formation from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 ,with Rooney playing the lone striker role. All his goals were from inside the box. 

Wayne Rooney's  performance in the past season has been his best so far, but the fact is that he only thrived on one thing and that is, DELIVERY

 Valencia's crosses into the box were the key to Rooney's goals. Whenever the delivery was cut off, Rooney almost always , failed to perform

Simple example, AC Milan vs Manchester united - first leg

Nani was having a terrible night and couldn't get a single ball into the box, and soon he was taken off . Valencia came on and, almost immediately, put in a tempting ball into the box and the rest as we all know is history

“Antonio Valencia. I couldn’t have scored the amount of goals I have this season without him. He’s been great this year and the quality of balls he puts in the box for me has been unbelievable,” Rooney said.

At the world cup, England will be looking to exploit Wayne Rooney's goal scoring prowess to the maximum.

It is so obvious that Wayne Rooney's goal scoring is so heavily reliant on the quality of balls put into the box.

Then why does Capello not realise it?

Why doesn't any one emphasize on the fact that all of England's attacks should revolve around Wayne. Which in turn means a quality ball into the box from AARON LENNON.

A perfect winger is one , who has pace, skill to beat defenders, the ability to find a yard and whip in an inch-perfect cross or cut into the box and take a shot at goal

Aaron Lennon has the pace, the skill, but he lacks the final ball. Azza's delivery has been his weak point and that is where England lost it against USA. His decision making was immature and poor, to say the least. 

If it were up to me, I would have definitely taken Beck's to the world cup and played him. The reason being, Not a single person in England can cross the ball as good as him. Unfortunately, he was injured. Another option was Ashley young, who could whip in the ball as good as Valencia.

Every attack should be from either wing. Azza HAS to step up.The game plan has got to be similar to Manchester United's game plan. If Azza manages to put a decent ball into the box, the rest is guaranteed. With Rooney's positioning and tactical awareness, a goal is almost certain. The number and quality of crosses into the box is directly proportional to England's progress in the world cup    

I truly hope Capello realises this obvious flaw in tactic because the key lies in the final ball and not Wayne Rooney