Rooney vs Nani

Hectic

There seems to be a bit of a split on here as to who we consider to be our better player, obviously the majority of posters still have Wayne ahead. The gap has certainly been narrowed between them, and for me personally I think Nani is the better player, with consistency and his bottom level being the two main factors. But, I accept that on form Wayne can also surpass Nani, the problem is it's not seen enough, and without form his bottom level is far lower. Overall I'd say the majority do believe Wayne to still be the better player as of now, but what about in the future, say two years?

It's always hard to judge because Nani has come into the player he is now, fairly recently in comparison to Wayne, who we've had years to see Rooney mature, because his quality was on show from the first game. But, for me Nani's rapid development is nowhere near it's peak, and in the next two years he will go on to become our clear best attacking player, I don't say best overall because of Vidic, who is the most important player for us now and probably will still be then. Whereas Wayne will continue to refine his game and no doubt still develop to be a better player, I can't see him transforming himself all that much, and right now I regard the difference between them two to be minimal. All in all I see Nani adding a lot more to his game, whereas Rooney will stay similar to the level he is currently at. I still find a lot of criticism on Nani to be outdated, such as end product and consistency. No doubt it can be an issue at times, but the reality is they aren't real concerns anymore. So much seems to be ignored and not taken into account when he doesn't score or assist in a game, similarly this is also seen with Rooney. You can look at the last game and the reaction to their performance as prime examples for both of them.

It's no doubt an unpopular opinion on here, and if it doesn't happen then so be it, I'll mean that Wayne either becomes a better and more consistent player than I believed, or that I overrated Nani and his development. But watching him these days and over the past few years to see how much he has changed, it's hard trying to put a limit on where that will stop.

At the very least we can use this one to stop disrupting the other threads when the two are compared.

I'm always right

Agree with this Hectic.

One thing I find rather amusing is that Nani gets labelled as inconsistent, whereas actually, if Rooney were to just find some consistency at his top level, then he would be a better player than Nani.

Right now I think it's very close and changes week by week depending on which one is firing, to me right now Nani seems to be the one that can move up to another level.

Colin129

Worth a poll?

marjen

Nani's actually the more consistant player between the two of them.

Wayne at his best is the more influential player, he'll control the ebb and flow of a match when on song.

Nani's bottom level, as you say, are higher than Wayne. He'll always be an outlet on the wing, and in the build-up, even those times when his end-product is off.

I find Wayne Rooney a more frustrating player to watch, because he'll play spectacularly shit when he's having an off game; giving him the ball his aching to giving it away at times - whereas Nani might cock up some opportunities, but still produce dangerous moments, set up our fullbacks in great positions and in general contribute to the greater good of the team. Also I think he's still improving his decision making, which is great to see.

The pass to Evra in the last match against Arsenal, the lovely little disguised through ball which Evra should have put away, is a prime example. I'd bet my house on him shooting on that occasion a year ago, and he's done similar things lately which bodes well.

Both are great, great players, but as of now I actually rate Nani higher, like you do, purely on football terms. Wayne's got that bit more drive and ability to "impose himself on the match", to use a tired cliché, which probably makes him a more important player for the team when on song. Due to consistance issues though, which I feel are attributed to Nani largely because of his earlier, frustrating seasons, I'll go with the portugeezer overall.

Varun_Utd

Very difficult to call at the moment but Nani would shade it for me. Just slightly so atm but i expect the gap to widen in the coming years because i fully expect nani to develop even more while rooney tends to have stagnated as a player.

At their very best, i think Nani has more in his locker than Rooney. Can be the more devastating player because of the wide range of his qualities and is the bigger matchwinner in my view. Not a slight on rooney though as he's absolutely great when at his best too. Just that nani has more to his game imo.

Even at thier bottom levels, i reckon nani has a higher one than rooney. Rooney at his worst, completely loses his game like very few do. Nani even at his worst, still gets the basics right. Rooney on the other hand, seems to lose the ability to control a ball or make a simple pass.

Regarding consistency, i'd rate both on a similar level. Neither are paragons of consistency but neither are as bad as they are made out to be specially nani who's improved tremendously in this regard. Rooney too at times get undue stick when he doesnt score even though he contributes in other areas.

Both fantastic players but i feel Nani has the higher ceiling and will prove himself to be our best attacker and player in due course of time.

johnmufc

Hectic, your constant undermining of Rooney is unbearable.

Rooney seems to be this site's new hate figure. Anything he does is not good enough for some people here. If he is put into the FIFA/FIFPro World XI, it is not good enough because according to this site's wisest, he did not deserve it. Instead of congratulating the player, he is slated. 17 goals in 25 matches so far this season? Not good enough, the player is too inconsistent. One decent performance after a superb match-winning performance against Manchester City? The player is too inconsistent, he is overrated.

I for one am sick of the unwarranted criticism Rooney gets here.

RedRonaldo

I still think Rooney is better. But the gap becomes smaller and smaller.

SecondFig

In all honesty I'd say Nani and by some distance. Rooney has (for me) never really fully delivered on his early promise, suffers from regular and significant dips in form, and I really don't know if he can be considered a player who can change a game on his own - in the way that your Messi's, Ronaldo's etc can. Nani, while clearly not as good as Messi or Ronaldo, is at least capable of that bit of magic, that goal from nowhere. I struggle to remember the last time Rooney did that (the overhead kick against City is the only example I can think of in the last 3 seasons)

SecondFig

Really? I genuinely think he doesn't get enough. When I think of the player we signed, and the promise of his first two seasons, I just don't see any real development from that point - if anything I'd even argue he's gone backwards.

Carl

If one was removed from our team for the rest of the season we'd strrugle more without Rooney.

Hectic

Where have I undermined him in the OP? I'll accept it though, because I struggle to think of a worst poster than yourself when it comes to talking football. You seem to be attached to Wayne in the most embarrassing of ways.

Garethw

Excellent post. There certainly seems to be an agenda against Rooney.

He is without a shadow of a doubt our best and most important player and I'd choose him every time over Nani.

Sparky_Hughes

What an absolute load of cock. Look....you think he is the greatest thing around, fine, whatever. The rest of us can see that he is a WILDLY inconsistant player whos varies from near the best in the world to only just PL quality from game to game. This is not RAWK and differing opinions are not only welcomed but encouraged to spark debate. I think you need to stop visiting the caf for a while....try www.chunkybaldingscousers.com, it will blow your mind.

Varun_Utd

Arguable. We'd just be left with Valencia and Young as 2 wingers whereas we actually have berba as backup to rooney or we could play hernandez up top with either of berba or welbeck behind him.

Even ignoring that, what you said shouldnt really be the yardstick here. THE one player i think we'd miss the most if we were to lose him now is Micheal Carrick. Doesnt make him our best player though.

Hectic

johnmufc, do you not see how embarrassingly hysterical you are, and tend to be? Take this thread as an example. An OP, asking posters to say who they think will be better out of two players in the next two years. I've highlighted some positives and negatives about both players, and at no point started undermining and abusing Rooney. No-one has. Yet your post is not one to address the OP, or any point or post made in this thread, but to go on your little wayne-crusade about how he's mistreated, no-one loves him and we should all respect and love him for being here. You've done this in a number of threads, to memory, every single time you've been laughed at to the point you stop posting in there. Should you not just think ahead and save yourself the abuse?

marjen

Rooney is of course an excellent player. He's highly rated on here, and rightly so.

Nani though is also an absolutely superb player, on song probably the most unplayable winger in the world, and I'm excluding Ronaldo/Messi as they are not wingers in the words conventional meaning.

And it is in that context I believe Nani to just about shade it.

In terms of importance to the team, though, it might be a different matter due to us having a very good selection of wingers, while lacking the sort of central playmaker/goalscorer hybrid that Rooney has become.

Broyphs

Unbiased OP from Hectoid. Who knows which way he voted.

Hectic

At no point did I claim to give an unbiased opinion Brophs, like everyone else, it's just my own views there. Nearly all of that in the OP is my interpretation of the two players, not a guideline on how to view them, and no-where does it say that.

Elliott

Yeah, it's on the verge of crossing the line between annoying and pathetic now.

Anyway, Wayne's the better player and probably will be 2 years from now. Delighted to have 'em both.

Edit; not aimed at Hectic specifically.

MikeUpNorth

Rooney I reckon. I think he's going to develop into a proper leader.

I'm always right

Because some posters think Nani might be a better player?

Touchy much?

* I'd like to write a disclaimer for anyone as soft centered as our john here. I love Rooney and think he's a brilliant, brilliant footballer, he's also a leader on the pitch and we are MORE than lucky to have him.

Hectic

Comparing him to Nani or asking who will be the better player in two years is somehow a slight against Wayne? What?

Varun_Utd

A comparison between who people consider our BEST attacker and somehow people think the OP hates one of them? Christ..

Sparky_Hughes

Hmmmmm Not sure about that, its questionable how well he deals with pressure, so best not to add any more than necessary

Liam147

Nani's end product has improved in terms of his goals tally, but his delivery is still questionable, against Arsenal his crossing was poor. The goal came when he gave Giggs the ball, and his delivery was superb.

Personally I still believe Nani's bottom level is lower than Rooney's, we just don't see it nearly as often as Rooney's. The 'poor' performances from them both, when things aren't coming off, will see them both having quiet games, and the fans will get frustrated with both. Nani's bottom level for me is the performance at home against Galati. It was disgraceful. He and Anderson played as if it was a friendly, as if they'd already won, forgetting that this was a team that wasn't a million miles from holding us at their place.

At that point I believe technical attributes no longer come into how well you can play, because it's one of those days when nothing works. Your shooting's off, you're passing's wayward etc. So it boils down to other attributes - strength, stamina, work rate, determination, pace. Things that are virtually unchangeable regardless of how well you're playing. Rooney always has that dynamism in his game, that Nani doesn't.

We frequently see Rooney get frustrated when playing badly, and it can improve his other attributes, as he's more fired up, so he'll track back more, whereas when Nani's off, he'll just become a detriment to the team.

I also think Rooney's top level is higher than Nani's. Nani got us out of trouble on countless occasions last season when Rooney was all over the place, but at the back end of the season, Rooney was returning to form, and won us some vital points. That West Ham game springs to mind. A magnificent hattrick won us that game when we looked like dropping three points. That game edged us away from the pack with just seven games to go. Had we lost it, with Chelsea and Arsenal still to play, the table would've looked much more interesting.

For me to rate Nani above Rooney, Rooney will have to remain at his current level (which I believe he will (hopefully with improved consistency)), and Nani will have to perform at the top level for a few season, be more consistent, and be the main man we look to to win a game. At the moment, I don't think anyone can deny it's Rooney.

Put it this way, if someone asked you who the better footballer is, Rooney or Robben, who would you say? Most will say Rooney. If the same person asked you, Robben or Nani, who would you say? When Nani is playing at that kind of level, and regularly, I can definitely put him alongside Rooney.

All IMO of course.

AttackingFlair

Bit harsh. Nani's tracking back and defensive work has become very good now.

To answer the OP though, I think Rooney will be the better player and is the better player now but Nani is our second best attacker.

I'm always right

I'm going to post a video later of some of Nani's passing in that game

Re-watch any of Wayne's games from the first 3 months of last season and come back to me on that one. ""Disgraceful" indeed.

Or he'll get send off.

And Nani's tracking back is HUGHELY under-rated, he puts in a hell of a shift, especially when things aren't going for him. Rooney gets noticed more though because he kicks, barks and snarls.

Robben or Rooney? I'd say Robben actually.

Only injuries stop Robben, sensational player.

Annihilate Now!

Both are currently far too incosistant for me. It's hard to tell what Wayne Rooney you're going to get from one game to the next... one week he'll be an attacking force, plucking balls from the air, sparying passes left right and centre, and scoring at will... and the next week he'll look like your average Premiership player.... and it's the 2nd version that we seem to be seeing more of these days.

As for Nani, as opposed to Rooney who is inconsistant from one game to the next, Nani seems to be inconsistant within the space of 90 minutes these days. Will he beat beat 3 men down the right wing? sure... will his cross then beat the first man?? of course not. He'll win the ball back, then make the totally wrong decision and give up possession again...

So, having said all that, I have more faith that Nani will become a totally consistant player, in the mould of Ronaldo (though not as good) then I do in Rooney become a fully consistant footballer in the mould of Ronaldo, Messi or even RVP.

Hectic

And if the three chances that he set up perfectly in the second half had been put away, he would have had three assists in the game, and you'd be calling it a masterclass in delivery. Fine margins Liam.

Sparky_Hughes

Id say you are half right, sometimes it can spur him on others it can make him act like a five year old and get sent off.

Hectic

I think Marjen summarized it nicely in another thread about their bottom levels. Both players are excellent, and there isn't much separating them in general, for a lot of Wayne positives, Nani has his own and vice versa, both players have qualities the other don't, on form they are both amazing. It comes down to consistency and the bottom level, because this is where the two differ. I feel Nani is more consistent, Wayne has had inconsistent patches since he joined, every season, and we still see the problem today, Nani goes through similar patches at times, but they don't last for as long. The bottom level is the other point, when Nani goes missing in a game, it's usually his final ball or end product that's heavily affected, he can still maintain a solid presence and threat with or on the ball, at the least he is still often involved. Wayne's bottom level is just ridiculous at times, because a man who is so talented and is often used as an engine-type player where so much goes through him, can become so invisible. His bottom level is more detrimental to the team, and comes around more often, which is why I struggle to have him as the best player. It's when he goes through his on form spurts and really leads the team the whole thing is thrown into question again, which is also why I seem him as more frustrating.

MikeUpNorth

I'm not saying make him captain, I just think he'll become a proper leader on the pitch.

Garethw

At the end of the day everyone of is entitled to their opinions mate. You obviously rate Nani a bit higher than Rooney.

What is unbelievably cringeworthy is how some of the other posters on this site have this pathological hatred for Rooney.

Pretty much every club side in the world would want to sign The guy, yet he is still "shit" in some posters minds.

Annihilate Now!

This is pretty much my thoughts on the matter... Wayne's bottom level can be insanely bad for someone with so much talent.

Hectic

I'd be surprised if anyone thought he was shit. I know a lot of people can't stand him as a person say, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone saying he isn't a great footballer, let alone shit.

apotheosis

Is that because he is a better player, or because of the role he plays for the team?

Aint gota Kalou

The roles they both play in our team also have an effect.

Rooney is our focal point of our whole attack, he's both a playmaker and someone who scores the goals so if he's having an off game it'll disrupt our game a whole lot more than it would do if Nani is off form. Same thing can be said when Rooney is on form he looks more influential as he's the player who our attacks usually go through.

It's hard to separate them but I'd personally edge for Nani, I think having someone who can run at a player and use two feet is such an asset in football and sadly it's not something Rooney is blessed with. I also think due to his technical ability he has more scope for improvement in his game.

I think Rooney is more important to us but Nani is slightly better, if that makes any sense at all. Two of the best players in their respective positions in the world, we're lucky to have them.

Liam147

I hope you do, I missed the first 10 minutes of the second half (RVP's sitter?) and then my aunty came round, so I've probably missed something. I'm judging that on the first half and the number of times he made Djourou look a mug but failed to put a telling cross in.

I know what you're saying, and it's hard to argue, the only way I can defend him is his obvious off-field problems. It was a very rough few months for him and the fans, and I can only assume that that won't happen again.
Yes his temperament has held him back. But I think he's improved on that since Ronaldo left. The England game is the exception nowadays rather than the norm. The last time (for United) I can recall him getting sent off was against Fulham in 09. I'm probably wrong, but can someone tell me when he was more recently sent off?

And actually I'm a big admirer of Nani's tracking back, I noticed it in a UCL game last season, I think against Rangers and thought to myself, would Ronaldo have done that? Never. He is a worker, but more in the sense that he has to be, if that makes sense. Rooney does a bit more of the headless chicken, Tevez type of closing down, Nani's probably more strategic in his work rate. You might say that's actually better than what Rooney does. Opinions.

Fair enough, that's your opinion.
Well, like I said, I'd like to see these passes I've missed. I can only judge on what I saw.

I'm always right

Good post Liam.

Hectic

From memory, two came early into second half, the cross for Welbeck which he mistimed and just jumped too early, it was a great ball. The cut-back for Valencia which was a great chance, but let to his psycho-volley in the corner of nowhere, and finally Evra's ball forwards which was incorrectly called offside. Three pieces of play that could have been goals of any other day, plus he had one decent cross in the first half (amongst mostly shit ones), and one good chance on goal.

All in all, that's no really inconsistent at all, it's just unlucky. Too many times these things are confused.