The Reinvention of Michael Owen
By: Daryl | March 31st, 2008
Michael Owen’s career was in danger. Not just from injuries, but from tactical trends (one up front, three up front) that aren’t kind to old-fashioned goalpoacher types who don’t contribute anything beyond getting their name on the scoresheet. Who wants an out and out goalgetter when you can have a complete package like Cristiano Ronaldo?
Owen used to have his pace to fall back on. But after a billion (approx.) hamstring and knee injuries, and the fact that he’s now closer to 30 then 20, he doesn’t carry that same threat. But not only has Kevein Keegan got Newcastle United winning football matches all of a sudden, he’s also found Michael Owen a new role where he can contribute a lot more.
In the last two games (both of which Newcastle won) Owen played behind the strikers. This makes no sense. He’s not a playmaker, he’s all right foot, and he’s not known for supplying anyone with anything. But somehow it’s working.
Against Spurs this weekend, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins were the strikers. Owen played behind them and also dropped into midfield when Spurs had the ball. What’s more, he still found time to score a typical poachers goal from close range, his third in three games.
And apparently this is where Owen will be playing for the foreseeable future.
“It is his position at Newcastle for the time being,” Keegan said. “I said, ‘this is the position you have to play in this football club because that is where you are most use for us’ – and he said ‘that’s fine’. He never came up to me and said ‘I’m a forward’. I think he’s enjoyed it.”
So maybe there are two big misconceptions out there. The first is that Michael Owen can’t do anything except put the ball in the back of the net, and the second is that Kevin Keegan doesn’t know what he’d doing.
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Category: English Premier League
Tags: English Premier League, EPL, Kevin Keegan, Michael Owen, Newcastle United, Premiership, World Football, World SoccerSubscribe
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Comments
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The misconception that Michael Owen is just a goalscorer was invented by the media who have never liked or accepted him. Actually playing Owen in a withdrawn role is nothing new as Real Madrid often played him on the left side of midfield. In fact there was some discussion as to whether it was his best position. Sven Goran Eriksson did consider playing him in that position for England. However he never really had the chance to try it as there were so few reliable goalscorers certainly at International level. Gerard Houllier always said there was more to Owen’s game than just scoring goals. Sadly though people only ever believe what the media tell them to believe and this is almost always rubbish.
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