Owen asked questions after Boro draw

'I don't want to have a go at Gerard Houllier's rotation system but there does seem to be a problem. Michael has to be playing regularly.

'You can see the difference it makes to his confidence if he is sure of a place in the starting line-up, because if he misses a couple of chances, he knows he can bounce back in the next game.

'It is difficult for Gerard, with so many options, but if you are like Michael and you're in one game then out the next two, it is going to prey on your mind. He will end up thinking, "Why am I not playing this week? What have I done wrong now?î

'I think Liverpool should stick with Michael and give him a proper opportunity to get his self-belief back because, believe me, it will return.

One good day in front of goal is all it needs and he will be flying again.'

Houllier was forced to acknowledge that mental wear and tear was being added to the 21-year- old's list of physical afflictions.

After watching Owen come on at the start of the second half for the injured Emile Heskey and fluff three golden opportunities, the Liverpool manager said: 'Sometimes a player can look confident on the outside but there may be an insecurity just beneath the surface, a fear of being injured or lacking fitness or not scoring goals.' There are also concerns for physios Dave Galley, Mark Browse and even German specialist Hans Wohlfahrt, after worrying signs that the hamstring problems which made Owen's life a misery for over a year are once more troubling him.

Houllier added: 'Michael's confidence needs building up but he has not been helped by a slight stiffness in his legs that has been bothering him lately.

'He may not be involved against Palace in the Worthington Cup on Wednesday. Although it is nothing major, it has been niggling away at him. Everything is in hand and we are working on him. It may take three or four weeks to get him back to his best but we will do it.

'If he is at his explosive best he will play, but we need to treat these injuries. He was not 100 per cent before the Aston Villa game and that is why we did not take a risk with him.

'His first chance came a bit early for him. If he had been on longer perhaps he would have put it away. Once one goes begging, it can have a detrimental effect on confidence.'

Owen came off second best in three direct confrontations with Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Owen's first touch, after striding on to Colin Cooper's mishit backpass in the 47th minute, said everything about his state of mind as the ball became stuck under his boot before he blazed it high and wide.

Two more glaring opportunit ies bounced back off Schwarzer's frame to leave another powerhouse performance from Steven Gerrard as the only worthwhile feature of a substandard Liverpool display.

The statistics behind Terry Venables' brief Middlesbrough reign continue to make impressive reading but only tell half the story of how he has instilled style and purpose into a team who looked bereft of ideas and self-esteem before he arrived.

Some of their first-half possession had an almost arrogant assurance about it as they probed for openings in a manner Liverpool followers used to marvel at from teams of their own a few decades ago.

Though clear-cut chances were at a premium, one sublime moment from the irresistible Alen Boksic almost settled it in the 32nd minute as he bamboo-zled his close marker Stephane Henchoz, then left Sander West-erveld flat-footed with a chip that floated agonisingly wide.

It was spellbinding stuff and, despite spending most of the second half on the back foot, Middlesbrough had already done more than enough to leave Ince enthusing: 'We outplayed Liverpool in the first half, and not many teams do that at Anfield.'