Liverpool vs Manchester United: Red Devils Are Ordinary Without Wayne Rooney

Manchester United looks like just another EPL team when Wayne Rooney is not on the pitch. When he is on the pitch they look like an unstoppable beast.

Rooney began the Red Devils match against Liverpool on the bench after trying to recover from a hard week.

It was until he was inserted later that the Red Devils were able to find the scoreboard and escape this contest with a 1-1 draw.

Why Rooney Did Not Start

Rooney was recently sent off in his match for England against Montenegro. He consequently received a three-match ban.

Sir Alex Ferguson, as quoted on Yahoo!, on his decision to bench Rooney:

"

It's been a bad week for him, really. I felt with these circumstances that he's better off starting from the bench.

I just felt that ... putting out a team that's at the most confident was the important thing, and Wayne's had a bad blow this week with suspension.

 

"

Struggles Without Rooney

This fierce offensive attack simply isn't the same without Rooney. This was on display when he was out with a hamstring injury, and it was on display in this match.

The Red Devils were lined up in a 4-5-1, and they failed to keep consistent pressure on Liverpool.

What Rooney Means to Red Devils

Rooney controls the ball and the flow for the Devils. He also is the center of attention for all opposing defenses. Not only is Rooney able to break down defenses himself, but he creates opportunities for his teammates.

His presence makes turns this offense from very good to unstoppable.