by account deleted by request » Tue May 29, 2007 4:19 am
Bring Owen home, pleads Gerrard
By Henry Winter
Last Updated: 3:48am BST 29/05/2007
Liverpool's two most important players, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, have asked the club's American owners to bring Michael Owen back to Anfield. George Gillett and Tom Hicks are keen but Rafa Benitez, the Liverpool manager, is less enthusiastic and any deal is unlikely.
Gerrard, Carragher and Owen trained together at London Colney yesterday as England began preparing for Friday's prestige friendly with Brazil at Wembley and next week's vital Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia. As is the way with England, there will be plenty of discussion amongst the players of future plans and hopes. Many a move has been mooted in England hotels.
Home favourite: Liverpool players would like a reunion
The desire of Gerrard and Carragher to restore Owen to the Liverpool fold is hardly a secret. Both have talked openly about their admiration for Owen. All three came through the Academy ranks and remain good mates, despite Owen having left Anfield for Real Madrid and now Newcastle United.
This is more than friends wanting to be re-united. Owen is the type of serial finisher Liverpool are crying out for; their lack of a cutting edge was highlighted during last week's European Cup final defeat to AC Milan.
After the game, Benitez confirmed that he would be investing heavily in rebuilding the side, but Owen is not high on his shopping list. Benitez is more interested in Valencia's David Villa.
Most managers of elite clubs are searching for Didier Drogba clones: strong, muscular forwards who can fill the demanding, multi-faceted role of the lone target-man required by increasingly prevalent 4-5-1 tactics. Owen, small of frame despite his recent time in the gym, is ill-suited to holding the ball up and bringing midfielders in to play.
Owen is most dangerous when deployed alongside another striker, and particularly when chasing balls played over the top. A classic 'run-through' striker, Owen is a predator with pace, not an old-style No 9 or new-school Drogba who leads the line.
For all the dressing-room lobbying at Anfield, it would be a surprise to see Owen back in the famous red of Liverpool, despite the inviting £9m get-out clause in his Newcastle contract. He has been linked with Manchester United but many people in a sport that hardly prizes loyalty still believe Owen owes Newcastle one season.