Editorial

English Angle: England Only Need One Owen, And It's Not Michael

With another stern friendly test awaiting Fabio's Lions, Goal.com's Sulmaan Ahmad knows what it will take for big game success in South Africa next summer...

Aug 11, 2009 5:00:00 PM

EPL: Owen Hargreaves, Fulham - Manchester United (PA)

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EPL: Owen Hargreaves, Fulham - Manchester United (PA)

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Not so long ago, Manchester United were on the wrong side of a mauling at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League final and their season, despite how incredible it had been for so long, briefly felt like a failure.

They won the Premier League - completing their second hat-trick of titles in the last decade - the Club World Cup, the League Cup, and did well to get to the FA Cup semi-finals, before an under-strength team was knocked out by Everton on penalties.

On paper, what lacked at the end of last season compared to the one before was the record in big games. The 2008-09 season may have yielded one more trophy, but the two won in 2007-08 were the biggest two on offer, and their record against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool (and, I think it goes without saying, Barcelona) was a mark up from where it was last time around.

Considerable credit must go to Owen Hargreaves, who was a long-term target of Sir Alex Ferguson as something of a successor to Roy Keane - tactically, if not inspirationally. Though he was in and out of the side with injury problems even in his first season, he was around for big games when it mattered and never failed to perform, whether in centre midfield, right-wing or even right-back.

His particular style of marking and pressing becomes invaluable when United can't just rely on the likes of Scholes, Carrick or Anderson to outplay their opponents in midfield and dictate the tempo of proceedings. Hargreaves disarms opponents and certainly, having come through the ranks with an immeasurable number of Bayern legends, is no slouch with the ball at his feet, either.

Hero Hargreaves strikes winning free-kick vs Arsenal

On the international stage, unaided by being born in Canada and having become the player he is with England's rivals in Germany, he has regularly been overlooked and underrated since his 2001 England debut under Sven-Goran Eriksson. The fact so many of his 41 caps have been substitute appearances in a left-wing role tells a story of its own.

Capello, though, is different. He knows what this team needs to be successful, and it's not Gerrard and Lampard alongside each other in centre midfield.

Gareth Barry is one of his favourites, but even he, like Hargreaves' team-mate Michael Carrick, is not so strong defensively as is required to neutralise the bigger threats possessed by the bigger teams. No English midfielder does what he does better than him. There is a reason that, for all of the impressive progression England have shown under Capello, they couldn't even get the ball off Spain for long enough to do anything other than lose 2-0.

He may be back in the big time, but Owen is not the answer to England's problems anymore.

Holland, tomorrow's opponents, are a similarly creative and relentlessly attacking side. England may find it easier to overpower them, but not by much. They are one of the form teams in the world and will have the likes of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar ready to prove a point, knowing that the world will be watching their every move.

To get anywhere in South Africa, England will at some point have to get past the likes of Spain, Holland, Brazil or Argentina. They will need that perfect balance and it is no exaggeration to suggest that the most important man to add to their squad over the course of the next season is Owen Hargreaves. Unfortunately, despite all his ability, the bottom line might be drawn by the fact he has even less chance of staying fit than Michael Owen.

He may be back in the big time, but Owen is not the answer to England's problems anymore. He continues to be the headline omission upon the announcement of every squad selection, but he is not quite top of their list of priorities.

Having been and still being a born goalscorer, the man bestowed the honour of United's No. 7 shirt could certainly serve a purpose within the Three Lions squad, but Capello knows his first XI needs Wayne Rooney at his best, and that it is highly unlikely to happen alongside his new Old Trafford team-mate. Sir Alex probably knows it, too: the dynamic isn't one that will create enough chances for either of them, nor would it facilitate United's style of play. Berbatov and Heskey rejoice.

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com

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