Michael Owen proves why he’s not England manager with ‘radical plan’ to win World Cup | OneFootball

Michael Owen reckons England need to do something different to win the World Cup, but his ‘radical plan’ proves why he is not a manager.

After a very, very long build-up, England finally get their 2026 World Cup underway on Wednesday, with Thomas Tuchel‘s side facing Croatia in their opening group game.

The Three Lions will come up against Ghana and Panama in their remaining group games before the attention turns to the knockout stages, and they will be hoping to at least reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

England and other European nations are arguably at a disadvantage at this tournament because they are not used to the hot conditions in North America, but thankfully Owen has a ‘solution’ to get around it.

According to Owen, England’s ‘radical plan’ to win the World Cup should be to “change the three attacking players behind Harry Kane at half-time” to keep Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke “fresh”.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Owen has not turned to football management since playing calling time on his playing career.

“This may sound radical, but here is my plan for England to win the World Cup – change the three attacking players behind Harry Kane at half-time,” Owen told The Daily Mail.

“We know conditions are going to be limiting and we have seen that already with the temperatures in North America and Mexico. Thomas

“Tuchel has also warned about matches being slow and potentially won by his ‘special teams’ from the bench late in the game. I agree with him – this World Cup will be won by attacking players who are fresh.

“So why not quicken things up and play to our strengths? There is so much debate as to who should play on the left, who should play in the middle, who should play on the right. It is because we have brilliant options in all of those positions.

“My solution – play them all! If it is Anthony Gordon who starts on the left, tell him: ‘Forget about conserving energy, you’ve got 45 minutes, give it everything you’ve got, empty the tank’. Then, at half-time, on comes Marcus Rashford. Make one player from two. This rotation also means they can go again a few days later.”

Michael Owen predicts World Cup winner

Owen has also argued that England must do something different if they are to win the World Cup.

“I said it was radical, but I’m not sure England can win this tournament if they just do the same as everyone else,” Owen added.

“Set-pieces are another point of focus and potential for difference, but that does not mean every game has to be stodgy and slow and waiting for a free-kick or corner. That, for me, limits your margin for victory.

“Our best players are in attack – back them and let them do what they do best.”

And Owen believes France are the best-placed team to win the World Cup.

“Now that the tournament is underway, I’ll make my prediction of who will lift the trophy on July 19 – and I think that will be France,” Owen predicted.

“Their attacking players, the quality and the depth, are better than any other country, including England. They have the best squad, a manager in Didier Deschamps who has won it before and some players who have been to the last two finals.

“My dark horses? I have a feeling Germany could take us by surprise, although it shouldn’t be that much of a shock given their pedigree at major tournaments. I was saying this before they scored seven against Curacao on Sunday by the way…”