Alan Hansen's column http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4435530.stm By Alan Hansen BBC Sport football expert
England will have a strike partnership to rival any side when Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen spearhead their World Cup campaign in Germany next summer. Argentina 2-3 England England match reaction England player ratings Photos from Saturday's games And in Rooney they have a player who would walk into any team in the world - by all means include Brazil in that - and would also be the first name on that team. He is that good. And that's not just the opinion of two or three people sitting around a table, it is the view of most people who watch football. I said 18 months ago that it was difficult to see how he could get better, but Rooney is doing just that and that is one frightening prospect. Rooney is a genuine English superstar. Forget potential. Forget someone threatening to become a world-class superstar. He is the real thing. He is no Diego Maradona just yet, but he has got everything. Pace, power, strength, creativity, goals. Often you get the creativity without the strength, or some other part of the package - but Rooney ticks every box. It's so unusual to see that in a player. ENGLAND STRIKE PARTNERSHIPS Rooney/Owen: 22 games, 19 goals Lineker/Beardsley: 39-33 Shearer/Sheringham: 25-22 Keegan/Channon: 28-20 Lofthouse/Finney: 21-26 I remember speaking to David Moyes and Alan Irvine three years ago at Everton before he burst on the scene, and even then they couldn't believe how good he was. Argentina produced several moments to drool over in Geneva on Saturday, but Rooney produced three or four things that rivalled and even bettered those. If you watch the incident when he hit the post in the first half, Rooney produces a first touch you can only dream about - but there were so many other moments of brilliance from him. He is a player without nerves, a player who has the ability to make life uncomfortable for any defender in the world. If I was still playing, Rooney would definitely be a case for a spot of delegation. Owen and Rooney is a perfect fit of a partnership - and good enough to rival any at the World Cup And then you come to his blossoming partnership with Owen, which will make Sven-Goran Eriksson the envy of managers around the world. In many ways it is an attacking marriage made in heaven, because it is a perfect fit. Owen is a world-class goalscorer and Rooney is a world-class individual. The areas Rooney likes to operate in leave Owen to do what he does best - prowl the penalty area and score goals. Wayne does not want to be an out-and-out striker or play in the centre of midfield. He likes to play just off the front man and provides a set-up that suits both players perfectly. As for Owen, do we need any more evidence that he is one of the great match-winners in the game? Alan Shearer was quite right when he said no manager should ever contemplate taking him off because he can get you the goal that can win a game. He was fairly quiet for 85 minutes on Saturday, then two goals later England have won the game. Michael is a big-game player who is a scorer of big-game goals. Remember the two late goals for Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup Final against Arsenal. As for England, they must take great heart and confidence from beating a side as highly-regarded as Argentina, although we have got to remember it was a friendly. What England need to do - which sounds a bit contradictory - is play better when they have one of their bad days, because when they are bad they are truly awful. But with Owen and Rooney around, they have got a chance to make a real impact in Germany. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/2_TolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> HAPUS BAGIAN EMAIL YG TIDAK PERLU SEBELUM ME-REPLY. ========================================================== Milis Tabloid BOLA Untuk KELUAR DARI MILIS INI. Kirim Mail kosong (tanpa subject) ke alamat [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================================================== Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bolaml/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
