The first time I heard about Owen's imminent switch to Manchester United was on BBC. And one can only imagine the rage I had inside of me. Or for the matter, inside of any Liverpool supporter. The very thought of a Liverpool player playing for Manchester United is mind boggling. And of all the players, Michael Owen. The player who made me who I am today.
On a neutral note, the move might resurrect Owen's career. Not that it needed any resurrection. Just that he needed to be in a top club to produce the goods. As for getting into the England frame is concerned, well, its all up to Mr. Capello.
As for Manchester United, well, they have got themselves a goalscorer. They can go to hell.
When Owen left Liverpool in search of silverware in 2004, they won the Champions League in 2005. Now, Owen has joined United in 2009. The Premier League might well be on its way to Liverpool. Who knows?
P.S. I never thought the 4 labels for this post would ever be connected.
Showing posts with label Owen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Owen. Show all posts
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
'G'Owen
It looks almost certain that Michael Owen's international career is all but over. Atleast as long as Fabio Capello is the boss.
Fabio's explanation that he's picking players "in form" is weak. There are many players in his 8 matches in charge so far who have not been "in form" at that moment. Even when John Terry wasn't "in form" at times, he was "the captain". And you may say that Rio Ferdinand is not "in form" at the moment (considering the latest results). And he's in the squad. Even though he's injured. What about Emile Heskey? Is he "in form"? I beg to differ. He's in as much form as Gabrian Agbanlahor is at the moment. Just to cite a few examples.
Also, Fabio's explanation(sometime back) that his international players should play for big clubs is nauseating. Look at the number of non "big club" players he's picked in the current squad.
Agreed, Owen was not fit for most of the games, but even when he was, he was overlooked. And even when he was in the squad, he was given a run-out for 45 minutes and that too in a formation which doesn't suit him.
Agreed, players cannot rest on their past reputations. But reputations and past exploits should count for something.
PS : This comes out of frustration from a Owen fan.
Fabio's explanation that he's picking players "in form" is weak. There are many players in his 8 matches in charge so far who have not been "in form" at that moment. Even when John Terry wasn't "in form" at times, he was "the captain". And you may say that Rio Ferdinand is not "in form" at the moment (considering the latest results). And he's in the squad. Even though he's injured. What about Emile Heskey? Is he "in form"? I beg to differ. He's in as much form as Gabrian Agbanlahor is at the moment. Just to cite a few examples.
Also, Fabio's explanation(sometime back) that his international players should play for big clubs is nauseating. Look at the number of non "big club" players he's picked in the current squad.
Agreed, Owen was not fit for most of the games, but even when he was, he was overlooked. And even when he was in the squad, he was given a run-out for 45 minutes and that too in a formation which doesn't suit him.
Agreed, players cannot rest on their past reputations. But reputations and past exploits should count for something.
PS : This comes out of frustration from a Owen fan.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
R.I.P 4-4-2
A few years ago, if you even dare to suggest anything other than a 4-4-2 to a manager of a top club, he would look at you as if you are from Mars. Teams used to stick to 4-4-2 so much so that the game was crying out for a change.
And change it did. Nowadays, the top sides rarely play a 4-4-2 during the course of the game and almost definitely not from the start. And even if the sides do play a 4-4-2, you have players like Rooney, Kuyt, Henry, Ronaldo etc who can play anywhere in the final third. This is particularly necessary against a mid-table team(if you can call a team that) since they can mark the life out of you sometimes. You need players like the above mentioned to move around and create space for others. I was watching the Barca-Valencia game the other night and I was shocked to see Hleb in a central striker position sometimes.
Barca, Real, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, Roma, Valencia are some of the top sides who rarely stick to a 4-4-2 formation in recent times. Even England has changed its formation from a traditional 4-4-2(which never seemed to work). Not that I call England a top side in terms of results.
There are downsides to not playing a 4-4-2 too. Players like Robbie Keane, Henry, Tevez etc may miss out because of the change in formation. Even Michael Owen was dropped from the England squad because, apparently, all he did was score goals.
And change it did. Nowadays, the top sides rarely play a 4-4-2 during the course of the game and almost definitely not from the start. And even if the sides do play a 4-4-2, you have players like Rooney, Kuyt, Henry, Ronaldo etc who can play anywhere in the final third. This is particularly necessary against a mid-table team(if you can call a team that) since they can mark the life out of you sometimes. You need players like the above mentioned to move around and create space for others. I was watching the Barca-Valencia game the other night and I was shocked to see Hleb in a central striker position sometimes.
Barca, Real, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, Roma, Valencia are some of the top sides who rarely stick to a 4-4-2 formation in recent times. Even England has changed its formation from a traditional 4-4-2(which never seemed to work). Not that I call England a top side in terms of results.
There are downsides to not playing a 4-4-2 too. Players like Robbie Keane, Henry, Tevez etc may miss out because of the change in formation. Even Michael Owen was dropped from the England squad because, apparently, all he did was score goals.
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