Michael Owen

Capello obviously doesn’t fancy Michael Owen, that is clear. He likes strikers with more to their all round game, more complete players, who will create as well as score goals, and contribute to moves as well as finishing them off. Admittedly, Owen is not this. He is a goalscorer, a poacher pure and simple. So he is going to have to accept he probably won’t feature heavily in Capello’s plans (despite there begin few in Europe you’d rather have coming off the bench with a goal needed).

This is fair enough – he doesn’t fit the style of play or player that Capello is going for.

But how do you explain the inclusion of Jermain Defoe?

I understand Heskey, Rooney, Crouch, Ashton being ahead, as more rounded footballers. But Defoe? He is a really similar player to Owen with a much inferior goalscoring record. An inferior version, if you will. Compare their records, Owen first:

This, in anyone’s book, is a great record. His club football record is 152 goals in exactly 300 games, which considering all the injuries he has had, is just phenomenal. Not to mention internationally, where his 40 goals make him the 4th highest goalscorer in England’s history, coming in 89 matches.

Now Defoe:

Certainly not shabby – 124 goals in 308 games (interestingly he has played more games than Owen despite being a couple of years younger) but not as good as Owen.

Internationally:

Which is poor, worse than 1 in 5.

So the question is this: Whilst not disputing your choice of a more complete striker, Fabio, if you are looking for a poacher, a goalscorer, someone to come on and nick one – the type of player both Defoe and Owen are – why Defoe?

International defenders will be asking the same question gleefully.