Spoiler

Why Capello was wrong to drop Owen and Crouch

Little and large have been vital in England’s modest success

As you probably know by now, Fabio Capello has boldly decided that Theo Walcott and Emile Heskey are more likely to score England goals than Michael Owen and Peter Crouch. It’s unlikely that this brave decision will prove costly against Andorra, it could prove disastrous not having two proven international goalscorers in the squad when England visit Croatia next Wednesday.

Here are some stats that illustrate why Owen and Crouch will be sorely missed, courtesy of our friends at chickendinner:

INTERNATIONAL GOAL PER GAME RATIO
Peter Crouch – 0.5
Michael Owen – 0.45
Wayne Rooney – 0.32
Jermain Defoe – 0.17
Emile Heskey – 0.11
Theo Walcott – 0

INTERNATIONAL WIN RATIO
Theo Walcott – 100%
Peter Crouch – 64%
Jermain Defoe – 62%
Michael Owen – 56%
Wayne Rooney – 52%
Emile Heskey – 46%

PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL TO START RATIO SINCE JULY 2004
Jermain Defoe – 0.52
Michael Owen – 0.5
Peter Crouch – 0.45
Wayne Rooney – 0.45
Theo Walcott – 0.22
Emile Heskey – 0.21

ENGLAND INTERNATIONALS SINCE EURO 2004…

WITH OWEN STARTING
Played – 27
Won – 19 (70%)
Drawn – 4 (15%)
Lost – 4 – (15%)

WITHOUT OWEN STARTING
Played – 21
Won – 11 (52%)
Drawn – 5 (24%)
Lost – 5 (24%)

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• Andorra
• Croatia
• Emile Heskey
• England
• Fabio Capello
• Michael Owen
• Peter Crouch
• Theo Walcott
• World Cup Qualifiers