There were many points proven in this weekend’s Manchester derby. Man Utd proved they really do never give up, City proved that they can play amongst the big boys even when not deserving it, and Mark Hughes proved that without realising he is already becoming a manager in the ilk of his opposite number on sunday. But the biggest point was proven by United’s new supersub Michael Owen, proving why he has to be in Fabio Capello’s England squad next summer.
Say what you want about Owen, throughout his career he has always been a ‘big game player’. World Cups, FA Cup Finals, qualifiers, you name it Owen has had a say in them through the years. And Sunday he once again showed that commeth the hour, commeth the man with his 96th minute derby winner. Ok yes, Man City should have known better then to leave a player of Owen’s calibre with that much space in the box but you still have to know what to do with it once your in that space, and that’s exactly what Owen did – can you imagine Emile Heskey putting that away?
Now picture the scene, it’s 1-1 with ten minutes to go in a World Cup quarter final that looks like it’s heading for a penalty shoot-out. Fabio looks to his bench and can either see a proven international striker with 40 goals to his name, who’s can take that kind of pressure, or Carlton Cole. No disrespect to Cole, but I know who I’d rather count on and it isn’t the man from Upton Park.
England’s impressive qualifying campaign has papered over a lot of cracks that need to be addressed before next summer and the striking department is one of them. Yes in Rooney we have one of the world’s very best but when then struggle. Heskey does a great job with him and is a Capello fave but will the big man even get a look in at Villa this season? Defoe is in great form but he needs to show that consistently over a season and bring that into a tournament. But then who? I’m a big fan of Crouch but seems to have lost his way a little under Capello and after that the stragglers like Cole, Agbonlahor and Bent are yet to fully convince on the international stage. One man who always has though is Michael Owen, so why not take him as our fourth striker? I know I’d be happy with a quartet of Rooney, Heskey, Defoe and Owen heading on the plane to South Africa.
I’m not suggesting Owen should be a starter next summer. Unless he goes on an incredible run for United, Wayne Rooney and one of Emile Heskey and Jermain Defoe should be England’s first-choice frontline in South Africa. But what a player to have sitting on the bench if and probably when England need him. He might just be England’s savior once again.
