Wayne Rooney told to axe Plymouth Argyle pair v Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney told to axe Plymouth Argyle pair v Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

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·3 October 2024

Wayne Rooney told to axe Plymouth Argyle pair v Blackburn Rovers

Article image:Wayne Rooney told to axe Plymouth Argyle pair v Blackburn Rovers

FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit has given his view on the changes Wayne Rooney should make against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...


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Plymouth Argyle take on Blackburn Rovers in the Championship at Home Park on Saturday afternoon.

Plymouth made a disastrous start to life under Wayne Rooney as they were beaten 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening weekend, but they have improved significantly since then.

Impressive victories over Sunderland and Luton Town in September helped to move the Pilgrims up the table, and while they were beaten 1-0 by Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday night, it was only a 26th-minute penalty from Josh Brownhill that separated the two sides.

Rooney said that there were "a lot of positives" to take from the game against the Clarets, insisting that his side are showing that they can "compete with any team in this league", and Argyle currently sit 18th in the table, one point clear of the relegation zone.

Plymouth will be looking for their third consecutive home win on Saturday when they face a Blackburn side who suffered their first league defeat of the season as they were beaten 3-0 at Coventry City on Tuesday night.

Plymouth Argyle fan pundit on potential Blackburn Rovers changes

Article image:Wayne Rooney told to axe Plymouth Argyle pair v Blackburn Rovers

When asked what changes Rooney should make for the game against Blackburn, FLW's Plymouth Argyle fan pundit Chris urged him to bring Bali Mumba in for Victor Palsson and Julio Pleguezuelo or Brendan Galloway in for Nathanael Ogbeta.

"Although Argyle played very well against strong opposition away from home at Burnley on Tuesday evening, there are a couple of changes that I would recommend for the upcoming fixture at home to Blackburn," Chris said.

"These would be in the wing-back positions that were filled by Nathanael Ogbeta and Victor Palsson in the Tuesday night fixture.

"I would look to bring in Bali Mumba to replace Palsson as there are rumours that Joe Edwards has taken a slight knock, and I would bring in Julio Pleguezuelo or Brendan Galloway to fill in the spot where Ogbeta was sitting.

"This will hopefully add that extra dynamic, which will mean that we'll be more competitive against Blackburn on Saturday."

Bali Mumba deserves Plymouth Argyle start against Blackburn Rovers

Article image:Wayne Rooney told to axe Plymouth Argyle pair v Blackburn Rovers

It will be a tough game for Plymouth against sixth-placed Blackburn this weekend, and Rooney may need to make defensive changes to contain a Rovers side that have scored 14 league goals this season, which is the joint-second highest in the Championship.

Mumba was surprisingly dropped to the bench against Burnley on Tuesday night, and given that the Pilgrims have lost both league games in which the 22-year-old has not been in the starting line-up, he should return to the team on Saturday.

Pleguezuelo made 35 appearances in all competitions for Argyle last season, but he is yet to feature in the league this campaign, so if Rooney does decide to make another defensive switch, it seems likely that Galloway will get the nod ahead of the Spaniard.

The Pilgrims have looked much more threatening going forward in recent weeks, particularly at home, but they have not kept a clean sheet in the league this season, so that is something Rooney will be keen to address this weekend.

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