5 September 2005
Michael Owen press conference

Michael Owen talks to the press ahead of England's World Cup Qualifier against Northern Ireland in Belfast.


On Monday Michael Owen spoke in a press briefing ahead of England's game against Northern Ireland in Belfast. TheFA.com brings you the full transcription of what he had to say...

Q: How fit are you feeling?
The Spanish league is still a couple of weeks behind the English league so we were obviously preparing ourselves for a little bit later. But we played eight pre-season games and I started in six of them I think, so I have played my fair share over the last weeks or so. I played quite a bit, I’m fit, I have no problems, I didn’t miss any sessions or anything like that. I feel fine.

I’ve done a pre-season and I’m fine, it’s not a concern.

Q: Would you feel comfortable in a 4-5-1?
We played it a few times with Liverpool. It’s a formation that we’ve played before with England and a formation that a few teams in the Premier League have been using lately. It can be made into a 4-3-3. If everyone plays well then I don’t think anyone notices the formation as much, not when you’re interchanging, playing well and the movement is good. It’s when you are not on top of your game that you think that needs ironing out or whatever.

If the team plays well and passes it well then everyone is an international football player and I’m sure anyone can adapt to any situation. It’s a bit more difficult talking about me but if you talk about Wayne, if you put him with his back to goal or his face to goal or in midfield or out wide or up front he can do it. Top players can adapt to any situation and I’m sure he can adapt to any situation that is thrown at him.

Q: It would be good to go into the last World Cup qualifying game not having to win, wouldn't it?
It would. It’s been a decent passage for us this qualifying campaign. There are harder groups out there. However we had a 2-2 in Austria which on any other night we should have won and won comfortably. But apart from that our record has been 100 cent wins. So that’s been encouraging, it’s been a relatively straight forward passage to where we are so far. And obviously we have to finish that off with two or three more good results.

Q: You want to avoid a play-off like last time against Turkey?
It’s certainly more exciting that way, I suppose. But I’m sure we would prefer to qualify earlier and prepare for what is a big tournament. Then you can prepare and use friendlies to iron out any difficulties.

Q: It is important for you and Wayne to be closer together whatever the formation rather than long balls over the top?
That is important, yeah. It doesn’t matter who plays, if you are playing one down the middle then you have to get support for that player.

That would obviously be the plan if that formation was used, to support a loan striker. So yeah, that would be the plan. Obviously Wayne knows all about that position, he’s played it for Manchester United; I’m sure he enjoys playing that position as well. And no matter what if you’re playing that formation you have always got to support the striker. But long balls, obviously if Wayne is up there or myself or Jermain Defoe, it’s different if you have a big man there then you can get tempted to play longer balls. But they know I’m 5ft 8in and I couldn’t win too many balls, that encourages us to pass the ball and that’s where our strength lies as well.

Q: Do you agree with Toshack that England need to improve to challenge the top six?
I think we can compete at that level, no problem. It’s easy to go off one or two games but the better the opposition the better the best players play. They raise themselves to it.

Wales played very well against us. We played well, we didn’t play at our best but we played well. If we were 2-0 down from the first-leg and up against them I’m sure you would have seen more attacking, more goals, more everything to be honest.

Sometimes you play to the occasion as well. Whatever is in front of you, you have to beat. And if it had been Argentina or Brazil then I’m sure we would have played better. You raise you game for those type of games.

Q: Is the new trend for clubs to play 4-5-1 bad for you?
Not really. The day football stops the most important thing will always be scoring goals. That’s my strength.

I haven’t played in that formation for England before. If it’s done properly I don’t see any problems. But if you don’t play well and support doesn’t arrive and you don’t pass the ball very well then obviously you are not going to function properly as a team. But if we play well then I’ve got no reason to believe it won’t go well.

Q: Are you comfortable up front on your own?
As I say, I’ve never done it with England before. But I’m comfortable with it, if I have to do it then I’m sure I can do the job well. Everyone knows I’m not six foot plus and hopefully that’s a good thing. England have been criticised in tournaments in the past for lifting the ball long. Now it goes on to the next criticism or the next fad if you like. But if you play well on the day it doesn’t matter if you are big, small or whatever. The way football is supposed to be played is to pass. And again, English football is renowned. We have a lot of skilful players who can pass the ball. My size, I have only ever used it to my advantage.

Q: Did you play 4-5-1 for Liverpool in Roma?
Look, even when we play for England and it’s been me and Wayne for a couple of years now, it’s not like two up front. Wayne has always been playing in behind, it’s nothing new. It’s just that we have put one more body into midfield. I’m sure if Wayne played in that position then you’re not going to see him playing out on the left wing, he will always be tucking in just behind the striker just like it’s always been.

There’s been a bit more made out of it than there should be.

Q: Are you happy England are going in the right direction to take on best in the world?
We’ve faced better opposition and the top players raise their standards for those type of games. I’m confident the team are heading in the right direction. We have played 4-4-2 for a long time or 4-4-1-1 and really it’s maybe changing it a little bit in case you come up against a team like Brazil who try to utilise that space between the defence and the midfield. It’s about having an extra man in there for certain games and being able to change the system. One game has gone and I would say it looked a comfortable formation, I don’t think we were caught out alarmingly in any one area. I’m sure we can play better but I thought it was a decent performance.

Q: Have you lost weight?
I don’t think so, no. I don’t know what my weight was at Liverpool.

Q: David Beckham said no-one’s place is safe but everyone assumes you will come back in, what do you think of that perhaps coming back in for someone like Wright-Phillips or Cole who has to be dropped?
Well, I don’t assume anything. I don’t know what team the manager is going to pick. It’s a bit awkward answering that question now. Football is football, 11 players can play and the best 11 players that the manager thinks should play will play. If I’m in that then I’m not going to sit around and think who might have played or who should have played. Visa versa if I wasn’t playing. I’m confident in my position in the team and my value for the team. Recent performances, past performances. I don’t think anyone did too well against Denmark but in my previous performance I scored a hat-trick against Colombia. So I’ve got no problems with my recent form or past form. I don’t think I would be especially thankful or whatever if the manager decided to play me. I don’t think I owe anybody any favours in that regard.

Q: Do you feel you have something to prove to the people in Spain?
No I think it’s more so in England than Spanish. I got along very well with the players at Real Madrid and the fans were very good to me. Apart from the first month I would say the press were very good as well.

Q: Do you want to show them what they are missing?
No, it’s not like I’ve gone out there and I’ve played a bit. They have seen me for a full season. There’s not one person in the squad who played more games than me last season. They have seen enough of me, I think I played 47 games. I know you will say a lot of them were as sub but I started a lot more, I think it was 20 and 27 the ratio to subs and start. I played a lot more than people think. Obviously mud sticks. One minute you see someone sitting on the bench and it’s written about and everyone seems to think that. But I played a lot of games last year and scored a lot of goals. They saw enough of me so I don’t need to show any more or what they are missing.

Q: Has your reception at Newcastle excited you?
I went to the stadium and that was a great experience with so many fans. It was exciting. I’m concentrating on Wednesday night but once that’s over then it will be great to hopefully play on Saturday.

Q: Can getting to the World Cup put Michael Owen's image back in the global football spotlight?
That’s not what I play football for.

Football and football only is what I enjoy doing and I wanted to get back to the Premeirship. I consider it my type of league. I’m obviously English and have played in it all my life and I wanted to get back. The World Cup is important but not for any other reason other than football. It’s important to me just as it is to everyone else, not more so to me or less so to me. It’s just a massive occasion that everyone would love to be playing in. I’ve played in two before and really enjoyed them. It’s a fantastic opportunity for any English player to play in a team that is a very good team and one that goes there with a good a chance as most.

Q: After the drawn-out move to Newcastle is it a weight off your shoulders to have finally signed?
I suppose. When you are about to change clubs you have the odd sleepless night but I’m not different to any other player who has moved clubs. I’m not different in any respect, but I take your point. As soon as the decision is made you can start looking ahead and you know what you are doing and where you are going to be living. It’s nice to have that in the back of your mind that you’re settled again. Hopefully that will show in my performances over the next few weeks, months and season.

Q: Do you see Northern Ireland as a chance to score goals to get closer to Bobby Charlton’s record?
I’ve answered that before, I think it was Azerbaijan! Lawrie Sanchez will probably be listening. We’re in a position in the table where we come over here looking for three points. Northern Ireland had a great result the other day. Two-nil. Azerbaijan were a very difficult team to break down when we played them at Newcastle so 2-0 is a very good result. I don’t think I have to score or anything like that, it’s all about getting three points Three points nearer to World Cup qualification. I have respect for my opponents and hopefully we can win.

Q: You like Windsor Park?
I have played here before. I scored in pre-season, a decent goal. I’m not sure whether I played here as a youngster as well with England schoolboys. It’s a nice stadium and it’s obviously going to be a passionate night. Hopefully we can put on a good show and the best team wins.

Q: Does criticism of the England manager surprise you?
Not with you! Obviously it’s not great that the manager is criticised but it's great that English football is like this, you go onto a pitch and you know every eye is on you. You make one bad pass and you know it’s going to be spoken about the next day because there’s that intense pressure.

I suppose moving out to Spain you miss a bit of that. You pick up the papers and you can’t understand what they are saying about you.

In England you wake up every morning with drive, you switch on the telly and see the leading goalscorers chart. You flip over the next page and it’s the league table, you are just permanently driving yourself to be better and better and better. You guys obviously add to that pressure and that drive.

The feeling of waking up and of having it in your blood to grit your teeth and do whatever is needed. I mean Spain is fantastic but it’s also a lot more relaxed than over here. I like waking up and knowing that when you go the stadium it is going to be deafening. And whatever you do it is going to be on the back pages of the paper saying you are rubbish or good.

You can’t expect to get praise all your life. I know as much as anyone that criticism is part and parcel of the job and you always have to bounce back.