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Owen blasts Eriksson
08/07/2006: Michael Owen has blasted Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to play Wayne Rooney up front on his own against Portugal.
Owen criticised the former England coach's use of Rooney in the quarter-final defeat last Saturday and believes Rooney's frustration at playing as a lone striker contributed to the Manchester United star's sending off for an apparent stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.
The Newcastle striker, himself set for an operation on the knee he injured at the World Cup, told ITV: "He probably only got angry because of what happened in the first hour. It's a frustrating role to play."
"Wayne is one of the best strikers in the world and you're cutting one of his legs off if you play one up front."
Owen also admitted there is often an "English mentality" to approach big tournaments thinking they cannot win them, but stressed some players had simply not performed as well in Germany as they do for their clubs.
"We've let a big opportunity slip. It's a major disappointment, getting knocked out by Portugal," he added. "Player for player, I'm convinced we were the best team in the tournament, yet we're out in the quarter-finals again."
"I'm not one of those who goes into tournaments thinking why we never win. It's an English mentality to think like that but we should snap out of it. We've won a World Cup, so we are not serial losers.
"But we've got to know how to win more. In my eyes there are far too many players - myself included - who don't play as well for England as they do at club level."
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