Owen 0 Capello 2- The Football Blog at ChrisOnline.biz (20/11/08)

It’s not often that national team supporters have much to celebrate, so a win over the Germans in their own backyard- the first since the 70s will have gone down well with most England fans..

Now I’m sure Owen will get asked about this by one bright Press spark and he may even put a brave face on the matter- the truth is Michael Owen must be hurting like hell.

It wasn’t so long ago all the focus was on him bypassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals for England, but with him still stuck on 40, he must be wondering where the next England game will come from, yet alone goal. A squad lacking Wayne Rooney, featuring untried Michael Mancienne of Chelsea- even Darren Bent got in! It seems four goals in nine Newcastle appearances isn ’t enough to convince Capello of his ability.

So as England fans revel in their new coach- who has admitted that he sees this position as his last, Owen must be wondering if he can ever warrant a place in a Capello squad. And with him approaching 30, the odds do not look like they favor the former Real Madrid striker. Credit to the coach though, his you-only-play-if-I-think-you ’re-match-fit approach has produced a flawless World Cup Qualifying campaign and now an impressive win over one of the best sides in the world, and as long as that keeps happening, no-one will miss the golden boy of the golden generation. CM