Owen left to reflect on past glories

In contrast, Rooney plays with a swagger that says 'I won't miss, I can do anything'. Like the moment when, on the left touchline, the excellent Hakan Yakin came tearing in to take the ball off him and Rooney just cockily rolled the ball away as if he was a matador taunting a bull.

Only it is Rooney who is the bull. Owen was an angelic assassin at 18; this snarling man cub carries a much greater whiff of danger and unpredictability about his game.

Frankly, England needs his touch of the devil and if he gets booked for something like yesterday's late followthrough on goalkeeper Jorg Stiel, then we have to accept it's just part of the whole wild card package.

The 36-year-old keeper noted that he would have clattered into Rooney hard in that challenge but he had made allowance for his youth. "Because it was him, and he is only a young boy, I held off," said Stiel, before noting wryly: "Now I know better."

Rooney is learning faster than his opponents, it seems. When he popped in the first, his extravagant somersault and booting over of a TV microphone prompted team-mates to offer him the time-honoured advice to any Scouser of "calm down, calm down". After the second, he showed no trace of emotion at all.

After being protected from we media piranhas for so long, he then handled his first international interview with some aplomb, even if some Swiss journalists were left desperately asking for a translation for this insightful description of his first goal: "Eeer, not much to say really. Michael just put the ball on me 'ead."

That was the only time they did click. Grip noted how Rooney had improved in all facets of his game "not only in goalscoring but working very hard, helping out in midfield and defence and tackling back". Indeed, he charges forward so powerfully and directly in the hole behind Owen that it looks almost as he doesn't need the anonymous lone striker. Or that he's forgotten he's there.

Eriksson would never drop Owen who's always been just about the first name on his teamsheet yet Darius Vassell, given 15 minutes to shine as a sub for Owen last night, was far more of a handful, even accepting the 10-man Swiss were shot by then. Vassell still put himself about at pace, outmuscled defenders and turned Owen Hargreaves' hopeful hoik upfield into a matchsealing second goal for Rooney.

Eriksson has serious concerns before Monday's group decider with Croatia. How to get that left flank shored up properly? How to find the midfield cohesion that was so lacking despite the players successfully persuading Sven that diamonds are not the boys' best friend? How to rouse David Beckham who, out on the right, still looks as if he hasn't quite got over a season of central midfield donkey work for Real Madrid.

But Owen is the big worry. Eriksson probably kept him on 10 minutes longer than he should have yesterday in the vain hope he would give himself the injection of confidence that a goal brings. If Owen is still the champion we've always known, he'll choose Monday's crunch to remind us all that there is still more than one boy wonder on Merseyside.