by stmichael » Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:35 pm
Yes, he had stinkers last season, but then so will all strikers (I can recall a few last season from Shearer and Van Nistelrooy, and even games where Henry couldn't hit a barn door; Fowler in his pomp was no different). Owen has had them his entire career; he is human, after all. It's just that lately, with Liverpool misfiring on too many cylinders, and no other striker scoring goals, his bad games seemed to cost us dear. Yes, he should stop with the penalties; they generate a lot of the negative press that surrounds him and affect his confidence, but I understand why he takes them: he wants goals, and goals improve his confidence. It just tended to work the wrong way last season. His greatest strength, however, is that he continues to put himself in the firing line; if he misses five chances in a game, he'll still look to score with number six. He doesn't hide.
When off-form Owen seems to miss a lot of chances to score his goals (a symptom of any striker off-colour), but add together his chances in Rome, in Cardiff, and in Munich, and it equals seven opportunities, seven goals. That sums him up: when on-form, no one scores more from fewer chances. Meanwhile, it was Henry missing countless chances in the FA Cup Final. Michael's strength is mental toughness. He doesn't want to score great goals, he just wants to score any goal; he'd prefer nine scrappy tap-ins to eight wonder strikes. It's only better when the stage is bigger. Only then do the goals tend to count double, and he loses himself in his celebrations. Providing the team wins, of course.