Aston Villa were beaten 2-0 at Anfield, conceding the opening goal after being caught trying to play out from the back
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney(Image: The Wayne Rooney Show/BBC)
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Wayne Rooney has criticised Unai Emery's tactics in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Villa twice hit the post and could have been in the lead before Mo Salah broke the deadlock by capitalising on Emi Martinez's error trying to play out from the back.
Arne Slot's side went on to grab a second through Ryan Gravenberch, while Emery defended his goalkeeper and said he was playing the way the manager wants him to play.
For Rooney, who during his time in management has had a hand in relegations at Derby County, Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle, that was the wrong tactic.
Instead, he said, Villa should have utilised Ollie Watkins' mobility and tried to find him more directly.
Rooney told the BBC: “I think, watching the game, I just thought – what were Aston Villa doing?
"Arne Slot even came out and said they struggle with long balls, and Liverpool are a very good pressing team.
“They had warning signs before the Salah goal, and they keep trying to play out from the back – in their own six-yard box – and they were getting caught. They were lucky not to concede before they did, and yet they just kept going. I was thinking, what are you doing?
“They’ve got Ollie Watkins, who’s one of the best in the league at running the channels, spinning, and turning
“I get that managers want to stick to their game plan and play the way they want to play, but sometimes you come up against teams – like at Anfield – where you just can’t give Liverpool encouragement or let them win the ball high up the pitch.
“That makes it a very difficult game for you to play and Aston Villa got caught out because of that – really through their own fault.
“Liverpool were good, they pressed really well, but Villa played right into their hands. There was no way they were going to win that game playing like that.”
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