Quote:
Originally Posted by Plechazunga
True. It's sometimes a bit of an arms race out there. For instance, wingers very often have one good season and a poor one after as they are developing, happened to Giggsy, Ronaldo, Robben, Lennon... the reason I think is that defenders work them out, they learn where to position themselves so they don't commit and get done for pace so easily... then the wingers have to adapt and raise their games... you can imagine getting demoralised if you're a young lad and can't work out why what used to work doesn't anymore.
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Plus other team members tend to be gentler with the new kid - less balls that play them into trouble, more support, better cover so it's not such a big deal if they lose the ball. A year or so on and they have to look after themselves and fight their own battles, less allowance for youth and none for inexperience when they do screw up.
Which is part of what's happened to Rooney since he was the amazing kid. We rely on him so much and expect so much that we hark back to a golden age before the team relied on him and when everything he did was like unwrapping another Christmas present and the goals (which were fewer back in those days though you wouldn't think so at times!) felt like a bonus.