Should Owen be axed?

Michael Owen has 認める he 直面するs the axe for the first time under Sven-Goran Eriksson when England 直面する Sweden on Tuesday. Here, MATT LAWTON and ANDY TOWNSEND argue …に反対するing 見解（をとる）s about whether Owen should be dropped.

NO - we need to look past the Sweden game, argues MATT LAWTON, and keep 約束 with the one man who has always come up with a big 業績／成果 on the big occasions.

Michael Owen was 支援する の中で his 支持者s here yesterday, 調印 autographs, playing with his children and enjoying time with his wife.

They will never 疑問 him, even if Sven Goran Eriksson now does; even if the whispers here point to his ejection from the England team.

How quickly they forget. That goal against Argentina. That hat-trick against Germany. The goals he 得点する／非難する／２０d against Brazil and Portugal. Two major 選手権 ４半期/4分の1-決勝戦 under the 指導／手引 of Eriksson and two goals from Owen.

Two more goals when England then 征服する／打ち勝つd Argentina in Geneva last November in a victory of 抱擁する importance to team 意気込み／士気.

How quickly they forget the problems Owen had to 打ち勝つ before this tournament. A fractured metatarsal that took 17 weeks to 傷をいやす／和解させる meant he had made just one 競争の激しい 外見 for Newcastle since December 31.

So what happens now? What does Eriksson do when another poor 業績／成果 説得するd him to hook his 主要な goalscorer after いっそう少なく than an hour for the second 連続する match? 減少（する） him and 取って代わる him with Wayne Rooney? Or Peter Crouch?

Eriksson certainly now seems to 所有する enough courage to make such a call. Rio Ferdinand discovered as much when he was omitted against Austria in October and Owen has been left in little 疑問 that he is no longer の中で the untouchables.

If Eriksson sticks with his 計画（する） and switches to a 4-5-1 形式 for Sweden ― a system he also has in mind for a possible ４半期/4分の1-final against Argentina ― even Owen can 予知する a 状況／情勢 that will leave him on the （法廷の）裁判.

Owen Hargreaves could play the 持つ／拘留するing 役割 behind the usual midfield 嫌疑者，容疑者／疑うs, with Rooney or Crouch as the 孤独な striker.

Eriksson appears 静かに 確信して that Rooney could be ready by Tuesday. '井戸／弁護士席,' said the Swede, 'he's a young boy, a young man. I think he will be making 進歩 day by day. It will be very quickly, I suppose.

Let's take it over the next few days. I was never willing to 受託する that he would not be 利用できる for the Trinidad & Tobago game because I thought he was match fit. I am stubborn and I was 納得させるd he could take part.'

権利 now, anything seems possible with Eriksson. Anything from axing Owen to abandoning a 支援する four in the absence of the 負傷させるd Gary Neville and 選ぶing for something really 過激な.

Have a 防御の trio of Ferdinand, John Terry and Jamie Carragher with David Beckham and Ashley Cole as 十分な 支援するs, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in midfield with a 前線 three that could 融通する the pacy, penetrative Aaron Lennon.

Yesterday, England's coaching staff would have considered all such 可能性s as they 反映するd on Thursday's いっそう少なく than impressive 2-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago.

Something has to change. Even Gerrard 認める as much when he 予報するd a premature 出口 for England if they fail to 改善する.

But 除去するing Owen from the 解雇する／砲火／射撃ing line? Omitting the one player most would 支援する to 得点する／非難する／２０ in a ４半期/4分の1-final against the 優れた Argentinians or a 半分-final with Brazil? Ignoring the former 受取人 of the Ballon d'Or? Madness. Sheer madness.

If Eriksson does make changes for Sweden, he must still find a way of giving Owen the 適切な時期 to 改善する, be it in a 4-5-1 形式 that 押し進めるs Rooney to the left 側面に位置する ― 堅い on Joe Cole but necessary in the circumstances ― or in an attacking trio that 含むs the impressive 刺激（する）s winger Lennon.

Eriksson needs to think beyond a game that England need only draw and 焦点（を合わせる） more on a second-一連の会議、交渉／完成する 遭遇（する） with Germany or Ecuador and beyond. Owen is a player for the big occasion and it would be foolish to forget that.

Crouch encourages bad habits. England's players see him and 逆戻りする to 大勝する One 策略 that bypass the midfield and 取り消す out the 脅し of Owen.

Yes, Owen has failed to make the runs that would make him more of a danger. But his 長，率いる is 負かす／撃墜する not only because of a loss of 信用／信任 but because of a 欠如（する） of service.

"For me, Michael Owen is getting better and better," said Eriksson. "I mean, I could have taken off Peter Crouch. I don't think Michael Owen was tired but I 手配中の，お尋ね者 to change something because we hadn't 得点する／非難する／２０d a goal.

"But the only thing Trinidad were good at was 始める，決める-pieces. Lawrence is as tall as Crouch and we needed to have Crouch to 示す him. It was the only way they were going to 得点する／非難する／２０ a goal and you don't want to 譲歩する one from a 始める，決める-piece."

LAWTON'S TEAM TO BEAT SWEDEN

(4-5-1): Robinson; Carragher, Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole; Beckham, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Lampard, Rooney; Owen.

YES - ANDY TOWNSEND puts the 事例／患者 for leaving England's 最高の，を越す scorer on the （法廷の）裁判 and implores Sven to look more fully at his striking 選択s and not have blind 約束 in Owen.

The time has come for Sven Goran Eriksson to make 勇敢に立ち向かう calls.

Now is the time to 選ぶ Wayne Rooney Peter Crouch to take on Sweden and leave out Michael Owen.

England want to go all the way in this tournament. And for that to happen Eriksson must be bold and 決定的な.

He cannot be 治める／統治するd by Michael's 評判 or what he has done 以前 as a striker of world renown.

Sven has to go on what he is seeing, and what he is seeing is a Michael Owen who is not 与える／捧げるing much to the England 原因（となる）.

I've been fortunate to have a bird's 注目する，もくろむ 見解（をとる） of a lot of World Cup games up in the ITV gantry. A nd I have seen a lot of impressive 今後s.

People like Pauleta of Portugal, Fernando Torres of Spain and Luca Toni of Italy have been 著名な as much for their unselfish movement, their work for the team and 創造 of space for others as they have for their striking ability.

Owen, 一方／合間, is making some runs, but they are only for himself.

I have been seeing him trotting around and only making darting runs when he thinks he is in with a 得点する／非難する／２０ing 適切な時期.

When that is not happening he is not doing enough and the question has to be asked ― what is he giving England at the moment? Not a lot.

It sounds 厳しい and this is not a 批評 as such because Michael is a predator, a goalscorer, and has always played that way. When he's in the zone and 得点する／非難する／２０ing goals he's got a knack and a 技術 that others would die for.

However, I'm not seeing it at the moment and it's almost as if England are playing with 10 men.

The strength of this England 味方する is in 防御の solidity and the big guns in midfield.

Yet Michael is not working for the likes of Stevie Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

Look at Portugal. Okay, they were 直面するing an Angola 味方する who are not going to 勝利，勝つ the World Cup, but Portugal's football was really clever.

Pauleta was playing up 前線 on his own but there were no long balls 存在 humped up に向かって him.

Instead, there was lovely 解放する／自由な flowing football with Pauleta running into areas where he wouldn't やむを得ず be receiving the ball but where he could create pockets for Figo and the others to run into.

Then, when Spain thrashed ウクライナ共和国, Torres was dragging big defenders out of the middle of the 支援する four to 許す David 郊外住宅 to 表明する himself.

Toni, 一方／合間, looked sharp, dangerous and intelligent for Italy against Ghana.

Michael is not alone in 存在 a big 指名する striker who is struggling. I have never seen a player look so uninterested at the start of a World Cup than Ronaldo.

His 業績／成果 agains t Croatia was almost laughable. I can't imagine he needed a にわか雨 afterwards.

He didn't do anything. His Brazilian strike partner Adriano was 普通の／平均（する） while Holland's Ruud 先頭 Nistelrooy looked out of sorts against Serbia and Montenegro.

I talked with 同盟（する） McCoist and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink after the 勝利，勝つ against Trinidad and Tobago, and Jimmy said to me: 'If you had a one on one 適切な時期 in the last five minutes of a big game, who would you rather it fell to? Crouch or Owen?'

I take his point that it would have to be Owen but my point is that England's strength is in the middle of the park and they must play to it.

I think Crouch will get more out of Lampard and Gerrard than Owen will.

Let Owen sit on the （法廷の）裁判 on Tuesday and think about his own game.

He will be able to take 在庫／株 there and, who knows, he could come on as 代用品，人, 得点する／非難する／２０ a 広大な／多数の／重要な goal and be off and running.

Owen is not the only big 指名する I would leave out against Sweden. Joe Cole has done nothing wrong but winger Aaron Lennon must play after the way he changed England's fortunes on Thursday.

I watched Erik Edman play at leftback for Sweden against Paraguay and, I tell you, the defender is 熟した for the 選ぶing by Lennon.

I would start with Lennon on the 権利 and move David Beck-ham to the left. Eriksson, I repeat, mustn't be afraid of 存在 bold.

TOWNSEND'S TEAM TO BEAT SWEDEN

(4-4-2): Robinson; Carragher, Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole; Lennon, Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham; Crouch, Rooney.

So would you 減少（する） Michael Owen? Let us know your 見解（をとる）s in our reader comments below