Mumbai: Michael Owen’s career defines the generation, the 17 -year -old phenomenon on France ’98, the last English to win the Ballon d’Or, and the speed and instinctive striker made it unable to play. Now an expert, Owen reflects how football has changed, why is the sport now beating the art, what’s wrong Manchester UnitedAnd more. Excerpt:You are part of Premier During the early years exploding. How do you see the evolution of the league now?One of the USPS Premier League has always been his intensity, football speed, a little more stop. That’s a fan of it. It is always more physical, with the referee letting the play continues. The part has lived.But the biggest change now is technology, var and assistant referee. And football itself has become more about sports. Twenty years ago, you could be a genius with a ball and still great even if you didn’t run much. Now, data says you should be the first athlete. That might not be appropriate for me. I like to watch players like (Eric) Cantona, (Dennis) Bergkamp, (Gianfranco) Zola, (Matt) Le Tissier, those who are mavericks with unique genius. We moved far from that to the player who marked the sports box.Is there still room for attackers like you in football today?Of course. My biggest strength is the ability of sports. I’m fast, appropriate, and sharp. Such players will always have a place. In fact, the speed is more valuable now because of how the team plays and how data drives the pickup. It is a kind of unauthorized player who will fight. If anything, we will be looking for more.
To be honest, no. And that’s not arrogance. They are all brilliant. For example, Cole Palmer has a better touch, vision, and skill than I have ever had. But things are great – speed, time, instinct – they are completely different. Not many 5’8 “in the middle of a quick flash now. If I play today, I might be used more like wrong or gakpo, coming from a large area, making a run.
Michael Owen
You mention data and analysis. Can the statistics be true -actually measuring Finisher’s instinct?I work on television, so I’m surrounded by data every day. I believe in sports science and measurement, but you can’t measure everything. In open games, there are too many variables – rotation, ball speed, weather, how it sits, how it comes to you. Football is full of nuances. You can’t catch the instinct in the spreadsheet.Do social media make attackers more careful or aware of how they express themselves?I don’t think so. People say there is more pressure now, but the pressure is always there; It only came from the newspaper before. If you miss the opportunity, you may have your picture on the front page with the radish on your head, or worse. You have no choice. Now players can choose whether to get involved in social media or not. There’s a switch off.You have seen Man United’s struggle for years. From a player’s perspective, what’s wrong?How long have you got? (Laughter) It’s been more than a decade since they are the great power we all know. They have changed managers, directors, hiring policies, facilities, players, all. They have spent over a billion pounds. So what else to change? Each time the decision dipped, the conversation turned: first it became a manager, then the player, then the system, now it is a formation. People act like changing from three to the fourth to four -they will correct everything. It won’t. When the club flies, everyone looks like a genius. When it struggles, even the great managers and players look average. That’s what happened in United. Look at Liverpool in the last decade, almost every signing has worked. Now name the United players who left the club with a better reputation. Almost none.
Survey
Who do you think will win the Premier League this season?
Who’s your favorite for the Premier League title this season?At the beginning of the season, I said Liverpool will win it, with Arsenal as their biggest threat and the third Manchester City. I still think that. Arsenal look a little stronger now. They have difficult fixtures but handle them well. Liverpool have some question marks.When you watch young English forward like Phil fodenAnthony Gordon, or Cole Palmer, do they remind you of yourself?To be honest, no. And that’s not arrogance. They are all brilliant. For example, Cole Palmer has a better touch, vision, and skill than I have ever had. But things are great – speed, time, instinct – they are completely different. Not many 5’8 “in the middle of a quick flash now. If I play today, I might be used more like wrong or gakpo, coming from a large area, making a run.
