Owens Set Sights On South Africa

September 28, 2009

England received a double helping of good news last week with Owen Hargreaves’ return to full training coming in the same week that Michael Owen blasted back onto the world cup radar with his spectacular Manchester Derby winner. Injuries have prevented either from representing their country for some time but both will feel they have much to offer their country next summer. They are in a race against time to prove their fitness and will be praying for an injury free season, and good run of form, to propel them into Fabio Capello’s thinking and onto the plane to South Africa.

The diminutive duo each have warm memories of world cups. France 98 was where Michael Owen exploded onto the world stage with the goal of the tournament against Argentina; Germany 06 is where Owen Hargreaves came of age and won over the England fans with outstanding performances in an underachieving campaign.

The bad news for the pair is that England has not missed them recently. In their absence, Fabio Capello has strode in as England manager, stamped his authority, and marched his team confidently to the 2010 finals with a 100% group record and a new found toughness.
He’s even got Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard playing well together. And with Gareth Barry making the anchor role his own, midfield places are in short supply, making Owen Hargreaves’ task a difficult one. There are no guarantees that he will get over the nagging knee injury that has blighted his Manchester United career to date, and even if he gets back to full fitness the first battle will be for a spot in United’s own congested midfield. England looks a distant dream at the moment.

Michael Owen is further down the path to fitness so what will it take for him to be included in Capello’s world cup squad? Goals, and lots of them. Owen is a goal scorer and doesn’t contribute too much in other areas of the pitch – his reputation lives and dies by the goals he scores. Capello’s ‘two strikes and you’re out’ disciplinary system won’t apply to Owen – fifteen strikes and you’re in would be more the message. If Owen can bag himself fifteen to twenty goals for his club it would probably be enough. If Sir Alex Ferguson gives him the games, he’ll get the chances, and a fully fit Michael Owen, amongst the goals, will be difficult to leave behind.

Capello has proved in the past that reputations count for nothing. If you are playing well, you’re in. If not, you’re out. He’s also proved that he’s not scared to admit mistakes; whilst Real Madrid manager he controversially left out David Beckham following the announcement he was to join LA Galaxy. Beckham refused to sulk and knuckled down in training, convincing Capello to make a u-turn and recall him a month later. He went on to become a key component in Real’s championship winning team.

Both Owen’s know they won’t be picked for who they are, they need to be playing and playing well. But they do know that holding their end of the bargain will give them every chance of Capello granting their wishes. And an England squad that contains Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves is a stronger squad than one without.
Michael Owen is England’s fourth highest goal scorer with 40 in 80 appearances. Owen Hargreaves was England player of the year in 2006 and England’s player of the tournament at the 2006 world cup. Their CV’s stand up to scrutiny, their injury records do not. If they can prove that injury problems are behind them there is every possibility of them both joining next summer’s jamboree to South Africa.

Lee Bennett

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