Rooney Now Trying Too Hard – LVG

Wayne Rooney and his fellow players may be trying too hard to score goals, according to his Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.
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United have scored the fewest number of goals among the top six clubs in the Premier League this season, with England captain Rooney scoring just two.
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Van Gaal suggested it might be a mental block affecting Rooney and the other United players rather than a lack of chances — and used the example of Mario Gomez during his time at Bayern Munich, who scored around a goal a game despite only having nine to 14 touches in a match.
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Rooney had around 50 touches of the ball last weekend against Manchester City — his average number this term.
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Van Gaal said: “Players are human beings and they want to score goals but maybe they want it too much and maybe then the choices are not always good.
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“Maybe he [Rooney] is doing too much, because you never know as a player how you can improve your shape or your finishing. It can also [create] a lot of doubt and I try to influence that.
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“But it can be too hard and then your mental state shall be a little bit less and that has an influence on everything and that’s the most difficult thing as a manager and player to cope with.
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“When I was manager of Bayern Munich, the striker was Gomez and he touched the ball nine times on an average in a game — the highest 14 touches — but he scored every game.
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“I don’t think our strikers touch less the ball — it’s how the balls are coming to him, how he decides, how quick he is in dealing with the situation.”