Ex-Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen recently had his say on the state of his former clubs’ current squads.
Liverpool won their sixth European Cup back in June and amassed the third-best points tally the Premier League has ever seen, just missing out on the title to Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have continued to struggle in a transitional period at Old Trafford, not yet recovering from the retirement of Alex Ferguson back in 2013.
With such a gulf in class between the two teams, there is a strong argument to say that no United players would get into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
Despite such a disparity in results, Owen has stated that United’s squad is just as strong as Liverpool’s:
When you look at the Liverpool, for example, are United’s players far inferior to them? I don’t necessarily think so.
But do Liverpool’s players play with a greater understanding and cohesion and confidence, yes.
These Liverpool fans have reacted to Owen’s comments – it’s fair to say they’re not impressed.
https://twitter.com/finalwhi/status/1169868663240835073?s=20
“When you look at the Liverpool, for example, are United’s players far inferior to them? I don’t necessarily think so." (@themichaelowen to @ESPNFC)
I defended him yesterday, but there's no defending this. So wide of the mark it's astonishing.#LFC #MUFC
— Scott Groom (@ScottCGroom) September 6, 2019
LFC fans on here asking Michael Owen to be removed as their club ambassador. pic.twitter.com/Oo5rEfsgu9
— Scott Smith (@NoCarsScott) September 6, 2019
Dear @LFC plz remove michael owen from all sorts of roles at the club, thanks and regards…
— Addy (@addykted_) September 6, 2019
Read Liverpool Verdict
Given the sheer gulf in class between Liverpool and United, Owen’s comments are wide of the mark.
His overall statement is that the quality of both sets of players is virtually equal, but that’s completely inaccurate.
Yes, United have quality in their team, most notably with the likes of Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, but they aren’t currently showing their potential.
As a result, his comments are an injustice on Liverpool’s players, who have performed at an unprecedented level for the last 18 months.
Klopp’s ability to get the best out of his squad is only the tip of the iceberg, with the players showing more quality than United’s.
Overall, Owen’s comments shouldn’t be totally discarded – there is some, if minimal, logic to what he is saying – but there’s no moving away from the fact that Liverpool’s squad is significantly better than United’s.
