Eriksson able to rely on Owen's defensive skills

When Michael Owen makes public statements you can almost hear the checks and balances whirring away in the back of his mind. When he addresses the media, this most instinctive of goalscorers is generally a cautious midfielder who concentrates on covering limited territory and doing the simple things well.

But as he spoke yesterday at St Mary's stadium, where England's second Euro 2004 qualifying match takes place tomorrow, Liverpool's young forward allowed his super-mature mask to slip just a little.

It happened when he was asked about the weekend newspaper reports detailing the dalliance between England's manager Sven Goran Eriksson and the former-weather-girl-turned-author Ulrika Jonsson.

"Well, we live in England..." Owen began defensively. "Yes," said his questioner. "But I imagine you all read the papers. And probably had a laugh." Suddenly Owen looked like a child rather than a man-child, his face shining with irresistible mirth. He emitted a small, infectious giggle. Then it was smoothly back into England gear.

"Yeah, I mean, you can't get away from it, when you look at the TV and when you pick up the papers. It just seems anything anyone does, especially in this country, it's sensationalised. I'm sure in Italy it wouldn't have happened like that."

Following England's fitful 2-1 win in Slovakia on Saturday, Gareth Southgate had commented that, as defeat loomed at half-time, the players had been intensely aware that a bad result would only compound an awful weekend for their manager.

But Owen, whose distracting run and predatory agility brought the second-half goals that steered England and Eriksson away from those ragged rocks, denied that any extra motivation was involved on the day. "I don't think I went out into the game thinking we've got to win because of the manager's private life," he said. "You are always playing for your manager and your team-mates in every game. When we were 1-0 down it was just a case of rolling up our sleeves and hoping to get something out of the game."

Owen, however, was warm in his praise of Eriksson's ability to adapt his tactics according to the circumstances. "There was a gap between our forwards and the midfield in the first-half but that's where the manager earns his corn. He made the changes we needed in formation at half-time and we were much better in the second-half when we were not so stretched."

Asked to comment on the idea that Eriksson's tenure as England coach had been put in jeopardy by recent events, Owen looked momentarily disconcerted. "If that's the case then I'd find it strange to say the least," he said. "From the players' point of view we are not aware of their being any question. There are not many better managers than Sven. Obviously we are a big footballing nation but when you look at the size of the country and how many years we've gone without winning anything, I think we should be proud to get a manager of Sven's quality. We are lucky to have him."

Eriksson, conversely, is lucky to have a player who has scored 11 goals in the 19 games he has played for him. "It's nice to be picked for so many games in a row," Owen said. "Everyone believes that if they have a permanent run in the side they can deliver. It's important that the manager shows faith in his players."

That faith looks likely to be rewarded with further goals tomorrow as Owen strives onwards towards the international scoring records of his illustrious forebears Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker.