Wayne Rooney was in no doubt when naming the toughest defender he ever faced at Manchester United as Jamie Carragher also shared his thoughts on the hardest forwards he came up against.
In the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, Rooney and Carragher reflected on how the role of a forward has evolved and the challenges young players face today.
Rooney enjoyed a distinguished career in the Premier League, scoring an ultra-impressive 208 goals across his spells at Everton and Manchester United.
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He came up against some of the best defenders of his generation, including John Terry, who starred for Chelsea.
And Rooney hailed Terry as the toughest defender he played against in his career, referencing his ability to tackle and his calmness on the ball.
Speaking on The Overlap - brought to you by Sky Bet, he said: “I’ve always said John Terry was one of the toughest defenders to play against. On the ball he was very good - he was brilliant, and he could tackle. I also used to like playing against big centre-backs because I wanted a challenge and wanted that body contact - I could spin them all and come off them, then take them on. John Terry was the toughest though.”
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Caragher also weighed in as he named the two toughest forwards he faced during his legendary Liverpool spell.
He named Arsenal great Thierry Henry before highlighting his duels with Didier Drogba, who inspired Chelsea to four Premier League titles.
“[On the hardest player he faced] I always said Thierry Henry - he was a problem if you were a right-back, but not so much as a centre-back. It wasn’t just Thierry; it was the whole Arsenal left side that was the big problem," he explained.
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"Didier Drogba comes to mind, but the best games I ever had for Liverpool were against Drogba. It’s hard to say I always got the better of him - he got the better of me sometimes and I got the better of him sometimes – but we played against each other so much. I played against Chelsea 47 times in my career because of all the Champions League games, and I’d play against him four times a season, sometimes six. It was that José Mourinho and Rafa Benítez time where all the games finished 0-0 or 1-0 - if you made a mistake the game was over.
"If I picture myself playing well for Liverpool, I picture the semi-final of the Champions League against Drogba and Chelsea. He’s still unbelievable - I still always remember that volley he scored at Stamford Bridge, where he took it on his chest and bang - goal. You don’t know what you’re supposed to do. I enjoyed playing against Drogba, we had some brilliant battles."
Carragher added: "The reason I played at the top level was because I had a very good understanding of the game. I wasn’t amazing at anything, wasn’t lightning quick or technically unbelievable. I wasn’t a John Terry or a Sol Campbell type, really powerful. I had my wits about me, and I could understand the game, what I needed to do and where I needed to be. I wouldn’t need someone to tell me how to handle Drogba - he knew I was an aggressive player. Don’t be overly aggressive with him, because sometimes Drogba could have games where he wasn’t there - but when he was there, he was unplayable.
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"Don’t go looking for trouble with Drogba. I used to talk to him during the game, it almost felt like I was his teammate because I played him that much, and it was almost like I knew him. It’s like playing against one of your own team in training or internationally - you know what they’re going to do.
"I remember there was one semi-final where he took us to the cleaners. We beat them, but it was against Daniel Agger. He’d just got into the team and was only 21. Drogba was making runs and giving him a tough time, and there was a lot of talk about Agger being dropped for the second leg, but he scored the goal that got us to penalties. I remember me and Rafa talking to Daniel about not letting Drogba getting in your head.”
Topics: Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, Jamie Carragher, John Terry, Football, Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry
Nasir Jabbar