With Sir Alex Ferguson hinting that Owen Hargreaves is set to make his long awaited (and oft-delayed) return from injury in Thursday’s reserve team derby match (the player was today withdrawn from said match), questions have been asked again as to whether or not Fabio Capello should put the tousle-haired midfielder on the plane bound for South Africa this summer. Despite the fact that the ex-Bayern Munich man has not played any competitive football for 18 months, many feel that putting him in the 23 man squad is crucial if England are to stand a decent chance of winning the World Cup. With the midfielder’s chances of playing this season remaining slim, would it be worthwhile gamble to take him to the World Cup?
Anchorman
Whilst England’s fortunes have witnessed an impressive turnaround since the introduction of Fabio Capello as manager in December 2007, there are still are doubts over England’s ability to compete with the world’s best. As England prepare to face the likes of Spain, Argentina and Brazil, concerns have been expressed over the paucity of genuinely world-class English holding midfielders. Capello’s current preferred midfield line-up, with Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard in the middle, does not contain any players who particularly excel at protecting the back four. Whilst Barry does a good job of distributing the ball and creating play from a deep position in the centre of midfield, it can’t really be said with a great deal of conviction that one of his main strengths is marshalling the attacking threat of the opposition’s playmaker.
On the other hand, Owen Hargreaves (voted England’s Player of the Year following his tireless displays in the anchorman position during the 2006 World Cup) is viewed by many as the man best suited to nullifying the attacking threat posed by the likes of Messi, Kaká and Iniesta. In addition to adding an extra dimension of defensive safety, deploying the use of a dedicated midfield “destroyer” (i.e. Hargreaves), would diminish the defensive duties of Steven Gerrard, and in particular Frank Lampard, freeing them up to concentrate on the attacking side of the game. It is no coincidence that the goal threat possessed by the prolific Lampard is partially extinguished when forced to play in a deeper role for England; using Hargreaves in the holding position would allow Lampard to make more of his customary “late runs into the box” and exert a larger creative influence.
Versatility
With Glen Johnson only having recently returned from injury and Ashley Cole unlikely to feature again this season, there is a distinct possibility that England will start the World Cup without two fully-fit first choice full backs. Couple this with the dearth of quality replacement full backs and the limited squad size, and it appears that the inclusion of “versatile” players is a necessity. Aside from Aston Villa’s James Milner, Owen Hargreaves is the only other English player who can competently fill in across a range of positions, having comfortably played before at club and country level at both full back and defensive midfield. It is this “utility player”-esque quality of Hargreaves that provides one of the strongest arguments when deciding whether or not Manchester United’s number four should go to South Africa.
Crocked
Due to chronic patellar tendonitis, Hargreaves (now aged 29), was 27 the last time he played competitive football. Included in Manchester United’s Champions League squad at the start of this season, Hargreaves was recently omitted from this squad in favour of rookie right-back Ritchie De Laet in a move that clearly demonstrated Ferguson’s doubts over Hargreaves’ ability to compete in the latter stages of the competition. With Ferguson also noting that “his recovery has been slow”, would it really be wise to take a player lacking competitive match practice and fitness to the world’s elite stage?
On several occasions Capello has stressed the importance of current form upon selecting his England squads - hence the seemingly perennial omission of Hargreaves’s club-mate Michael Owen. Capello is not one to allow his players rest upon their laurels and has shown that he is more than willing to wield the proverbial axe when players aren’t playing or are badly out of form. With only nine matches remaining in the Premier League season, it is highly unlikely that Hargreaves will be able to build full match fitness and form prior to the start of the World Cup.
It has also been suggested that part of the reason for Hargreaves’ long rehabilitation has been due to psychological concerns, as well as fitness issues. If Hargreaves is unable to handle the pressure of returning to play competitive club football, then surely he cannot be mentally strong enough to handle the pressure of a return to football on the world’s biggest stage.
Whilst Owen Hargreaves is undoubtedly a quality footballer, taking him to South Africa would represent a huge risk. There is no guarantee that he will be the same player he once was when he returns from injury, and sacrificing a full recovery for the sake of playing in this year’s World Cup may be damaging to the player in the long run. Indeed, Capello appears to have found a balanced midfield and unsettling this at such a crucial stage could be detrimental to the team. On this logic it seems probable that Hargreaves won’t be the only Owen watching the World Cup from the comfort of his own sofa.