Owen: We need a rest

13 April 2012

Michael Owen yesterday admitted fatigue may have cost him a World Cup winner's medal.

As he prepared for the start of a new campaign against Arsenal in Sunday's Community Shield in Cardiff, the Liverpool striker reflected on an agonising near-miss for World Cup quarter-finalists England, and said: 'Several of us, me included, would have done a lot better if we had gone into the tournament feeling fresher.'

Owen echoed the sentiments of national coach Sven Goran Eriksson, who has called for a mid- season break and, with England's Euro 2004 hopes in mind, urged football chiefs to heed the lessons of the Far East.

But the concept of a break was given short shrift by Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore yesterday, who claimed chairmen had 'no stomach' for a reduction in fixtures or the number of top flight clubs.

While Eriksson has called for a winter halt, Owen is not convinced a total shutdown is the answer. But he was adamant that the question of wear and tear needed addressing after seeing himself, David Beckham and Kieron Dyer hampered by injury on their way to a 2-1 quarter-final defeat by tournament winners Brazil.

'I had a little problem against Denmark and was still carrying the injury slightly against Brazil,' said Owen.

'The amount of games and training we got through in a short period meant there were injuries going into the tournament. 'It is the length of the season and the intensity of it. And when you carry on after that, with the build-up to the World Cup, it does take it out of you.

'Many players would have performed better but for being injured going into the tournament or feeling the effects of a long, arduous season.

'It would have been beneficial to have headed for the World Cup feeling a lot fresher.

'I was not at my maximum against Brazil and, when you consider how tight it was, you wonder what might have happened if we had been able to produce that bit extra.

'People were saying it was our big chance of being world champions. Maybe so. Perhaps we would have gone all the way. You can only wonder about the outcome if everyone had been 100 per cent. The squad was not what it might have been if we had played fewer games. It needs looking at, though I don't pretend to have an easy solution.

'People talk about a winter break, but I can't imagine clubs agreeing to players having a week or so off, doing absolutely nothing.

'Ideally, I would like to avoid decreasing the number of games and instead, look at ways of restructuring the fixture list to ease the burden.'

But the unwillingness of clubs to surrender lucrative games was confirmed when Premiership chief Scudamore said: 'We would like to have a winter break, but we can't see practically how to have one. There is no stomach among Premiership clubs for a reduction in their numbers - and a two-thirds majority is needed for such a change.'

However, Scudamore is in favour of players revealing their wages on a national register for fans to view. He believes the move could help reduce salaries. 'Player contracts are confidential but I'd be in favour of full public transparency in player wages and bonuses,' he said.

'That would have a deflationary effect on wages. When players are told apocryphal stories of what others earn, it all adds to inflationary pressure.'

MORE ABOUT

Arsenal

Owen: We need a rest

Read More