Jermain Defoe Kills Off Michael Owen's 2010 Dreams

It is only November, and Jermain Defoe is already only two goals off his record English Premier League tally of 13 strikes with Portsmouth a couple of seasons back.

The pint-sized striker was simply on fire as Tottenham Hotspur struck nine past Wigan Athletic at the weekend, bagging five for himself—but will it have impressed England boss Fabio Capello?

A simple answer would be—I’d blooming well hope so.

What Capello wants up front for England

It is exactly what England needs—one of their best strikers in the form of his life in a World Cup year, and it must now be pretty certain that barring injury, the 27-year-old Defoe will board the plane for South Africa in June.

Sadly for some English die-hards, the form of Defoe has simply snuffed out any chance Manchester United’s Michael Owen has of making the trip.

England’s other classy diminutive striker has zero chance of playing the best football of his career over the next six months and competing for a place with the Spurs star, as those days are definitely behind him.

However, had plenty of England’s strikers been misfiring this season, I’d have definitely stuck him on the plane, but there is only room for one poacher in a World Cup squad and the finishing (the best England has, according to Spurs boss Harry Redknapp) of 38 times capped Defoe has already sealed his place alongside Wayne Rooney, although he is still unlikely to be next to him on the pitch in SA next year.

Despite his form, Capello has shown he is no fan of small strikers since taking over as England boss, and Defoe, with 11 international goals already to his name, will likely have to make do with a role off the bench behind Rooney and a bigger striker, possibly Emile Heskey, at the World Cup.

But nothing in football is ever set in stone. Only Defoe can keep Capello’s mind ticking over.

Defoe must kick on if he is to change his destiny

Only England legends Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole had struck five goals in an EPL game before Saturday, which just goes to show the calibre of player Defoe is.

Not only that, but it is now 12 goals in as many games for the Tottenham man in 2009/10, and he may at this point deserve to be England’s number one striker, but he must push on and win the golden boot with 30 strikes if he is to snatch a starting spot at the WC or at least deserve to in the eyes of the boss.

Capello has a system, one which players like Defoe, in the eyes of the England boss at least, will struggle to fill. As we all know, it takes something very special indeed to change a manager’s opinion—yes, something even more special than five goals at lowly Wigan on a cold November Sunday.