Michael Owen ‘might have fallen between the cracks’ in 2026

Would Michael Owen have been chucked out onto the wing in modern football? And does it matter that Arsenal have no world-class stars?

Send mails on all subjects to theeditor@football365.com. Read this on what makes a great Premier League season first.

Why do we need world-class players in Premier League?
You get these emails where people nostalgically list random names of players from 20 years ago and to be brutally frank it just makes you sound…. well… old. Of course those players were better; you were 20 years younger and more ready to fall in love. None of those badge kissing hypocrites had left you yet. But you must know there is a generation coming through now who will adore Rogers and Doku the way you might have Zola and Juninho.

I would argue that the current crop of players able to routinely put in performances against super-organised, high-calibre defences which are common through the entire league would have had a field day in the ramshackle 90’s offering. Enjoy what there is today in the prem or watch another league maybe. The world is your oyster.

Also, who cares if the top players are in the prem. I think above a certain level the likelihood of a game being exciting is probably reduced. I haven’t watched the highlights of Fulham vs Palace yet but I am willing to bet it was more fun than Barcelona beating Valencia 5-0.

But I don’t want to be all negative so I will pose a question to those nostalgia cravers. As world football has moved from 442 to 433 in most cases I think there are a number of strikers who were greats in a two that may have never made it as a lone striker. Michael Owen springs to mind. I don’t doubt his talent but I can’t picture where he ends up in modern football. It feels wrong to chuck him out on the wing. What other high profile-players from days gone by might have fallen between the cracks in this era?

Nice one,
James

…Where are the galacticos some people ask? Pretty simple really, that sort of player doesn’t exist anymore. The era of Messi/Ronaldo is coming to an end and they were both the peak and nadir of that sort of football.

The game has evolved to a point where transfer fees are so broken that money no longer indicates a players true worth. When Zidane went for a world record transfer fee it was big news because it reflected the status and power of Real Madrid. Nowadays clubs in the bottom reaches of the Premier League will regularly spend the Zidane fee, and more, on a player.

Terms like World Class have also lost most of their clout and meaning. Squads are bigger and the football calendar is so ridiculously packed with games that clubs no longer buy players just because they are a big name. Along with the aforementioned fee problem and crazy contracts clubs go for a consistent team with players at a certain level to last for a long long season. Having that one ‘World Class’ player doesn’t mean as much as it used to. Just look at Madrid, they signed Mbappe (for free, because contract, fee etc) and have since won diddly squat.

And finally, there is a lot of rose tinted glass for football in the galacticos era. I’m not saying the football back then wasn’t brilliant, but you have to factor in all of the above and how we consume it now to see why things are different now.
Andrew (I’d happily never see the term World Class again)

No world-class players at Arsenal? Who cares?
In 1991, Spurs had both Lineker and Gazza. Liverpool had Barnes and Beardsley. United had Robson and Kanchelskis.

All of these guys are world class.

But in 1990/91, Arsenal were champions and not a single one of their players made the England 1990 squad.

(Apart from David Seaman who then got injured, but that’s obviously not such an exciting stat – Ed)

I didn’t care whether people thought our players were world class then and I don’t today either.

Victoria Concordia Crescit – go look it up.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London

…Considering your recent post about world-class player, it can be considered a juxtaposition to claim that Arsenal lacks a world-class player while recognising their competitive stature in football.

Arsenal has a rich history and has produced several world-class talents, both in the past and present. Players like Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are often discussed in terms of their potential to be categorised as world-class. Four players were considered for the ballon D’or meaning they tick the box for world class status. Your meaning and consideration may slightly differ due to being biased to Arsenal football club position.
Reggie John

Will Mike Dean be punished?
So, let’s talk about Mike Dean. As we presumably all know, on top of the previous admissions, he’s now admitted to playing games with himself on how long he can stay in the centre circle, how long he can go without blowing his whistle etc.

On the latter one, it has now been discovered by the brilliant Adam Clery which match (assuming just one) this was.

It was Man United vs West Brom, in 2016. During the first 19 minutes of this match there were 10 or so obvious fouls (from both teams) including some serious ones like feet to head, and he refused to whistle. All of a sudden, Dean suddenly decided to give out a flurry of yellows for minor misdemeanours.

In the 24th minute he gave Mata his only red card of his entire career, for a second yellow when the first was standing in front of a free kick a few minutes before. Considering that by this time, Mata had been kicked and dragged to hell, it is extraordinary. At the time it was considered pretty harsh.

The game ended 1-0 to West Brom after 70 minutes of playing with 10 men. The table at the end of the season saw United in 5th, level on points with City but behind on goal difference, and so missed out on the CL and Van Gaal was sacked as a result.

The direct impact on the manager, the players and the club for years after was immense.

We know how referees can affect match outcomes and the huge impact it has on careers, literal livelihoods.

A full investigation into Dean, with an immediate removal of him from any kind of punditry, has to follow.

Turns out, we were all right to hate him and now much greater transparency is absolutely required from PGMOL and VAR.
Badwolf

Should Neco Williams be punished?
I’ve watched the latest images of the Neco Williams disallowed goal from the weekend and it makes me so frustrated. The video clearly shows that Williams basically uses his left hand to push the ball into the net – this may have been accidental given how fast he was moving, but it very clearly comes off his hand with some significant force. There’s no way he wasn’t aware of this, but nevertheless he spent the post-match interviews and an X post in the evening to reiterate that he didn’t handball it and that the goal should have stood.

Now I don’t expect footballers to have to own up to stuff they do in the heat of the moment – I do think that this is the job of the officials. So for instance it doesn’t really bother me when players appeal for the throw in immediately after it goes out; it doesn’t really bother me that a player will fall down and feign injury at the slightest touch; it doesn’t really bother me when a player reflexively punches a ball into the goal. All those examples are heat of the moment things where competitive nature takes over and you do whatever it takes for your team to win. I get all that.

My problem is more with the aftermath of each of these things. For instance when the ball goes out for a corner off a player who then spends the next minute faking absolute shock and surprise that the referee has made such a poor decision; the player feigning injury stays down for 2 minutes giving everyone a break in momentum; the player who handballed it seeing that the video footage is inconclusive, so he lies through his teeth about the result of a game which is already over, because he thinks no one will ever know he was lying.

I would welcome it if the FA charged Williams with some sort of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ type charge and banned him. Stuff like this makes refereeing harder.
Ian Towns, AFC & MUFC

Why are certain fouls ‘great play’?
Up till now I have refrained from my Ref watch watch as it’s almost too predictable that my favourite Dermot will perform mental gymnastics to justify decisions that leave the rest of us “normal” people baffled.

However I feel compelled to share two absolute gems, this time from the (now) two resident experts, Bothroyd and Sutton. I do believe that both usually offer a more realistic opinion due to their “having played the game” and lack of “old pals act” agenda but this crossed the line today.

Both cited examples of “great play by ,,,”, firstly Sutton comments on Bentancur’s defending against Forest. Not word for word but “he’s got himself into a bad position and done the only thing he could do, he’s tried to grab him by the neck and he’s done so, I’ve done that loads of time myself, it’s great play by Bentancur”! So Chris, grabbing a player by the throat is not against the laws if it’s the best option?

Bothroyd then comments on Declan Rice’s deliberate tripping of Morgan Rogers, “It’s great play by Rice, he’s realised there’s a danger and he’s done the right thing. Rogers would have done the same if it was the other way round”. Fair enough, take a yellow card, but is it “great play”?

In conclusion, deliberate fouls, both on and off the ball constitute “great play”, there was also little criticism of the VAR for failing to intervene on both occasions.

Dermot also wades in in true Dermot fashion, he states that Gakpo is indeed fouled but that no penalty is the correct decision as it occurs outside the box, I stand to be corrected but I don’t think a foul was even given or any review made, no slow motion/freeze frame is shown to try and determine “in or out”. I wonder if Dermot can explain how not to give a foul when one is committed constitutes a “correct decision”?Howard Jones

Arsenal whataboutery ahoy
Can you imagine the mailbox if a Chelsea defender had decided to carefully take aim and kick Raya in the face while he was on the floor holding the ball? They’d still be scraping bits of Arteta’s head off the moon. Peter Dreary attempting to big up the game like it was vintage Pep v Klopp was instructive too because that wasn’t even in the same galactic neighbourhood in terms of quality or entertainment.

I guess Arteta has dragged expectations down so far that when the members of his team not currently on the floor string a couple of passes together, everyone is so surprised/relieved, they greet it like it’s prime Ajax ’95.
RHT/TS x

(I see Maitland-Niles’ post Arteta treatment & rehabilitation is coming along nicely, glad you’re feeling better Ainsley)

A wholesome mail about a returning legend
Just writing in to say how great it is to see John Egan back in the top flight. When he was up with Sheffield United he might have been the most underpublicized player in the league, excellent in the middle of a back three. Now, ready to turn 34 in October, he’s playing the same position at Hull City, and looks as good as ever. He’s tactically astute, good in the air, and strong in the tackle, just the sort of player the Tigers need to anchor the back line. Here’s hoping he stays in form all season and Hull stay up.
Peter G, Pennsylvania, USA (Glenn Whelan IS TOO a Premier League icon)