Rooney advises Ten Hag to follow Mourinho in FA Cup final

According to former striker Wayne Rooney, coach Erik ten Hag should apply Jose Mourinho's tactics to help Man Utd defeat Man City in the FA Cup final.

Writing in The Times , Rooney wants Man Utd to field a 4-4-2 formation, with the striker duo Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. In midfield, the English star chose Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Fred.

Rooney also stressed that he wanted the eight players in the squad to hold their positions and minimise gaps. "In football, if you have eight good, solid and disciplined players, it's very difficult to break them down," he explained. "Man Utd have had some good games against Man City in recent years because of their counter-attacking style, usually with Rashford and Martial starting."

However, Ten Hag cannot deploy the formation suggested by Rooney as Martial is definitely absent due to a hamstring injury. The Dutch coach's options in attack today include Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Wout Weghorst, with Antony doubtful.

Rashford (red shirt left) competes for the ball with De Bruyne and Ake during Man Utd's 2-1 win over Man City in the Premier League on January 14, 2023. Photo: AFP — Rashford (red shirt left) competes for the ball with De Bruyne and Ake during Man Utd's 2-1 win over Man City in the Premier League on January 14, 2023. Photo: *AFP*

In addition to changing the squad, Rooney suggested that his former club deploy similar tactics to Mourinho's when he was at Chelsea, with a counter-attacking style and making the most of opportunities. The former Man Utd striker wrote: "Mourinho put Joe Cole, Arjen Robben or Damien Duff in midfield positions, but not sitting deep and defending, but waiting to counter-attack as soon as Chelsea won the ball back."

From there, the 37-year-old former striker questioned Man City's style of play. "If John Stones stays in midfield, will space be left for Rashford to exploit? If Kyle Walker moves up, will this open up space?", Rooney wrote.

After defending their Premier League title, Man City are aiming for a treble with the FA Cup final against Man Utd at Wembley today and the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul, Türkiye on June 10. If they win both matches, Pep Guardiola's team will repeat the feat of their city rivals Manchester in the 1998-1999 season.

Meanwhile, Man Utd are aiming for a double in Ten Hag's first season, after winning the League Cup. In addition, if they win at Wembley today, the "Red Devils" will also prevent Man City from repeating the treble of 25 years ago.

"The FA Cup final will mean as much to City players, staff and fans as it does to United, and I expect it to be an exciting, tight affair," Rooney added, adding that "United could win if the game goes to extra time or penalties."

In the 2022-2023 Premier League, Man Utd lost 3-6 to Man City at Etihad on the day Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both scored hat-tricks. But in the rematch at Old Trafford, Man Utd won 2-1 thanks to Bruno Fernandes and Rashford.

Hong Duy

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