Why is Michael Owen Not in The England Squad?

For the second time in succession, Fabio Capello has left a fully-fit Michael Owen out of his England squad. I didn't agree with it first time and I don't agree with it now.

I just don't understand why Owen is not included. He has been the only player to continue to shine at Newcastle, and has scored five goals in six league games this season. Fitness could have been used as an excuse last time, but certainly not this time.

Looking at the four who were named in Capello's England squad, Owen deserves to be in there. Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, and Peter Crouch all also deserve to be in there—which leaves Emile Heskey.

Now I've always been a big fan of Heskey, since his Leicester days. He gives the team a different threat up-front with his strength. But Heskey hasn't been on great from for Wigan, yet alone England.

If you are only going to take four strikers, I'd have Michael Owen over Emile Heskey any day of the week. They play extremely well together, but in a choice between the two, there is only one winner.

Just look at their England records. I know that those goals are in the past, but we can learn a lot about the future if we look into the past.

Michael Owen has 40 goals in 89 England games, making him one of the greatest England goalscorers of all time. Emile Heskey, on the other hand, only has five goals in 48 England caps.

Owen scores a lot of goals, Heskey does not. I know that Heskey does a lot of other things, but I don't think you need them for games against the likes of Kazakhstan, who players like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard will be able to pull apart with ease.

England are perfectly capable of hitting at least seven past Kazakhstan, and I expect them to at Wembley. But to do that you need a goalscorer, and the best England have available to them at the moment is Michael Owen, followed by Peter Crouch.

I would play those two up front, with Wayne Rooney just behind them, then Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Theo Walcott in midfield with three at the back of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, and Ashley Cole, with David James in goal.

It is an attacking line-up full of pace, which I don't think Kazakhstan would be able to deal with.

If Joe Cole was in the squad I would have him in instead of Shaun Wright-Phillips. Yet neither him or Owen are in, for various reasons.

I just hope Don Fabio proves me wrong again.

So what do you think the England line-up should be against Kazakhstan? If you think Owen or Cole or anyone else should be in there, include them!