With Gareth Barry Injured, Should Capello Pick Owen Hargreaves In World Cup 23?

Ollie Irish

11th, May 2010

9 Comments

By Ollie Irish

Owen Hargreaves will be included in England’s provisional squad of 30 players, due to be announced later today, with Fabio Capello very keen on giving the Man Utd midfielder as much time as possible to prove his fitness.

Were it not for Gareth Barry’s ankle injury, which Capello won’t gamble on (what heartbreak for the Man City man, who will miss out on the tournament of a lifetime), there’s no chance that Hargreaves would have been risked. But Capello craves experience and cool heads; as such, Hargreaves is the ideal deputy for Barry. Indeed, if both were fully fit, Hargreaves has the edge.

If Hargreaves does go to South Africa, it would be a remarkable Lazarus job by a player who has played less than one minute of first-team football in the past 18 months.

Do you think it’s worth the risk? I do – Owen has more mental strength than almost any England player I can think of.


Posted in International football, Man City, Man Utd, World Cup

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9 Comments

  1. gamblino says:

    If before the final 23 are picked he can prove that he’ll be fit enough then he has to go.

  2. Pooch says:

    Agreed he should be given his chance in the 30. But your talking about replacing a recently injured midfielder with a permanently injured midfielder. Unless he performs out of his skin in camp I can’t see how Hargreaves can get in.

  3. Mathers says:

    id pick him ahead of Barry even if Barry was fit. He is 10 times the player Barry will ever be, fit or not.

  4. Xyth says:

    I wonder what Fergie has to say about this. Unless it benefits United in long term I cannot see him readily agreeing to this.

    If I was Hargreaves I would forget about the World Cup and concentrate in resurrecting United career.

  5. CiTyBlUe says:

    Anyone who says Hargreaves is better than Barry is a complete and utter bias looser with black glasses and a white cane or their a United fan in which case are even more of a doosh.

    Hargreaves was and still is a over-rated averge player hyped up because he had an average time in Germany with Munich and is now hyped up because he plays for the fake club of Manchester.

    Id pick Huddlestone right now ahead of Hargreaves, christ Hargreaves should not even make the porvisional 100 list let alone 30.

  6. Mathers says:

    By any chance do you support city?

  7. kingfluxx81 says:

    oh what a surprise…cityblue…CLearly a fan of the financially rich but successfully poor side of manchester thinks barry is better than hargreaves…dont make me laugh…your calling anyone who thinks hargreaves is a worse player than barry yet you are playing up your own player…how blind and nieve is that…

    lets look at both players shall we?

    owen hargreaves :
    bayern munich career:
    4 german league titles,
    3 german cups,
    1 german league cup,
    1 champions league
    1 intercontinental cup

    manchester united career:
    1 premiership
    1 champions league

    as well as european u21 player of the year 2001 and english player of the year 2006

    Gareth Barry:
    Aston Villa:
    2 Intertoto cups

    villa player of the season 2006

    so yeah…im thinking injury or not i know which one i would prefer to have in my team and its NOT barry…

    i think its a gamble but i also think its a gamble that could work out for the best as long as he can prove himself. his record proves it. ferguson rates him, capello rates him…

  8. WhatEvar says:

    omfg. Barry is the best, because of allmost no injuries and a much safer player. Out of form or in form dosent matter for Barry. He is working his ass of any way. He is much faster in his play. And personal skills is also better then Hargreaves. Hargreaves is maybe the most dumb united buy in the last years. But if Barry isnt fit, use Hargreaves. But still Barry is a better player. Im just sayin’. But lining up Hargreaves carrier and compairing it to Barry’s is stupid. Just because Hargreaves have played at better clubs that are winning titles doesent meen that he helped them. Bayern had managed to win all of those titles with Hargreaves or without him. Like United did, Hargreaves used to sit on the bench or not at the bench at all.

  9. Rohit says:

    As a liverpool fan so im not biased, hargreaves was and still is englands best defensive midfeilder by far and united fans as biased as they may be will agree on that front, carrick is found wanted defensively an has been shit all season barry good player but injured at the moment. as funny as it sounds englands best holding player would be steven gerrard, how can tackle, reads the game well and passing range is like no other in the england team. ideally england would have barry fit but even better would be lampard gerrard and hargreaves in the team

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