While the 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo can still score a hat-trick in the Premier League, his former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney will undergo the most severe test on the evening of the 18th. Coaching Championship side Derby County, he faces a life-or-death test tonight. Currently, Derby County, with 21 points deducted, are third-to-last in the Championship, nine points behind teams outside the relegation zone, and if they can't beat Blackburn tonight, Rooney will relegate his side early.
Derby County are already on the brink of bankruptcy due to poor management, and manager Rooney and the players have done their best. Excluding the 21 points deducted, Derby County currently has 52 points (13 wins, 13 draws and 16 losses) and has completed the relegation task ahead of schedule. Historically, with the exception of Juventus, who was once deducted more than twenty points in 2006 when he was relegated to Serie B, there is no precedent for relegation for other teams to suffer such a heavy penalty. At one point, Rooney led Derby County to a frenzy in the middle of the league, but the club's instability still affected the mental state of the players. Tonight, if Derby County can't beat Blackburn, they will most likely be relegated 3 rounds earlier.
Currently, reading, also deducted points, is nine points ahead of Derby County, who are facing Blackburn, who still has hopes of a Premier League promotion tonight, while Reading is at home at the same time to face the undesirable 14th place Swansea. In other words, as long as Reading wins the game, regardless of whether derby County wins or loses, Rooney's team will be relegated early. Before the life-and-death battle, the chances of Derby County escaping the bad luck of relegation throughout the season were already slim. The only good news is that Wayne Rooney has already started looking for a home and is rumored to be taking over burnley, who is likely to be relegated from the Premier League. Burnley are currently third from bottom in the Premier League, although they may remain in the Premier League if they can overtake Everton in the last seven games. Rooney is about to end his experience in charge of Derby County at any time, so this life-and-death battle is actually his farewell battle in Derby County.