UEFA have hit England striker Wayne Rooney with a three-game suspension after his sending-off in Montenegro.
This decision wasn’t completely unexpected and England still have a right to appeal.
However Rooney has previous and UEFA are unlikely to change their decision.
Group
A three game ban means that Rooney will miss all three group games. However he could play in the knockout stages if England managed to get through their group. The way England have played at recent tournaments that is no certainty.
Decision
England boss Fabio Capello will now need to make a decision on whether to take Rooney to the European Championships or not. The tournament could be over for England before he has even kicked a ball.
However if Rooney were selected in the squad and Capello’s side made it into the knockout stages Rooney would be fresh and may be able to make an impact. His inclusion in the knockout stages could knock the team out of their stride though.
Best
It’s going to be a hard decision for the Italian to make. Wayne Rooney is by far England’s best player and to leave him behind is unthinkable, but that’s the decision that Capello may have to make for the good of the squad.
Alternatives
It really is a big ask for someone to come in and replace Rooney. He has unique skills that no other England player has and England may need to change the way they play to accommodate Rooney’s replacement.
Options
Capello does have some decent options though and a good variety of them. You have the pacy tricky strikers such as Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck but then you have the physical presence of Andy Carroll.
Then there is Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe, who has been enjoying a decent season. Aston Villa’s Darren Bent has been in good form for England and he could now be seen as England’s first choice striker. All these strikers are decent options but needless to say they are not Wayne Rooney.
Tactics
Capello will need to develop a alternative set of tactics now that Rooney has been ruled out. The Italian has been accused of having no plan b in the past and this his chance to prove his doubters wrong. I believe the Italian will still go with on up front and a five man midfield.
Stupid
Wayne Rooney was stupid to get himself sent-off but he’s only human. I could sense from the start of the game that his head wasn’t in the game so why couldn’t Capello. You can never take the fire out of Rooney’s game as it what makes him such a special player.
However he seemed to have matured in recent months and he looked like he had his temperament under control. The incident in Podgorica just shows that he is still battling to control his temper. That’s the way he plays I’m afraid and us England fans will just have to accept it.
Unlikely
Even as an England fan I didn’t hold much hope of the Three Lions winning the European Championships with Wayne Rooney in the team. Without him I’m not even confident that we will get out of the group.
England have many talented young players coming through the ranks but this tournament maybe have came to soon for them. I say lets use some of these younger players and let them get accustomed to tournament football so they have experience for the World Cup in 2014.
One thing is for sure Wayne Rooney’s absence won’t help England’s chance of success, even if he has been poor at previous major tournaments. His absence is likely to have a hefty effect on the England team and one which they might not be able to recover from.
Should Wayne Rooney be going to the European Championships?
