12 October 2004  
Michael Owen Press Conference

Michael Owen says he will lead by example in Baku after being handed the captain’s armband for England.

Owen, the first choice stand-in for regular captain David Beckham, insists it will be a proud moment when he leads out the Three Lions in Azerbaijan.

He undertook his first task as England's leader today when he faced journalists in a captain's press conference in Baku, and said he is looking forward to stepping into Beckham's shoes in tomorrow's crucial World Cup qualifier.

"I'm quite similar to David in that I don't shout or rant or rave in the dressing room or on the pitch. But I have a lot of experience and I try and lead by example," said Owen.

"It will be a proud moment for me. As captain you do feel a little bit more extra responsibility even though I know deep down it's not my main duty.

"I'll go out trying to play my game although obviously I will be trying to help others but I've got to concentrate on my own game and lead by example in the way I play more than anything.

"When I was captain before a percentage of me looked round and thought someone has to take this by the scruff of the neck and I had the opportunity to do it. Being captain gave me that percentage to push myself even harder."

It will be good news for England if Owen can match his last performance as England skipper, because on that occasion the Three Lions beat Slovakia 2-1 and Owen scored both goals to mark his 50th cap.

Now the Real Madrid star has every confidence that the current squad is good enough to win in Baku and give him another win under his belt.

He said: "I know David is out but if I look at the squad now, I certainly see lots of world class players starting right from the back. We are no means a one, two, three or four man band.

"There are certainly 11 players out there justifiably playing and then you look at another few on the bench and think how the hell are you not in an international team! It’s good news for England."

What is also good news for England is the way the 'three up front' system worked so well against Wales at the weekend, and the debate continues both in England and in Azerbaijan as to whether Sven should persevere with it here in Baku.

Owen said: "If we went to a tournament I don't think the manager would play 4-3-3 every game. But the manager knows his best formation.

"It's good and exciting at home when you can score a few goals and there are three strikers with options everywhere. But by and large the manager will go with the normal 4-4-2 with Wayne just behind. That's the way we'll play in big games and that's the way the manager will play more often than not.

"Having said that, I enjoyed the other night as there were a lot of options and it was great playing up there. Sometimes you can get away with it but more often than not I think the manager will play 4-4-2 and that's what I would do as well.

"But let's see what happens. The good thing is that Wayne Rooney is a different player to me as he plays behind. I can drop off but my strength is when I play furthest forward. We dovetail quite well and I'm excited to see him coming through."

All eyes will be on the Owen-Rooney partnership again tomorrow. And the big question is will they be joined by Jermain Defoe or not?

Over to you, Sven!