Michael Owen Quotes

You have to have something in your head to understand the Barcelona play. You have to adapt as quickly as possible.

I make a dribble or a simple pass, knowing that if I lose the ball near the area, the opponent can score. I am aware of what I do on the pitch, but I always do it to help the team. That's why, occasionally, I also boot the ball into the stands.

It's not just about showing people what you can do on the ball in those wider positions, it's about gaining the full understanding of each position and what it takes to get that spot.

When you play with good players, they will always create chances for the forwards to score.

When you just work tactically, in pure football sessions, you can see the way they can think football.

Spalletti made a difference for me. He gives great importance to the details and, at minimum, wants the goalkeeper to know how to play with the ball at his feet.

Van Gaal was always very intensive with his tactics. You had to work more with your head than your legs.

Guardiola likes footballers who can pass the ball, who have eyes for the best position and the right runs.

When I am on the pitch, I play on intuition, but I think a lot about the game as well.

The big thing is to win, but to look at the long-term, you need one way to play, and the philosophy is not only to put 11 players on the pitch and play football.

In every country, you play a different style of football. Sometimes if it's really tactical, like it is in Spain, it seems like it slows down the tempo, but it's not really the case.

Dominating the midfield is the most important thing in modern football. To succeed, you have to be good at everything.

Every footballer enjoys having the ball at their feet. There are times in training you find yourself without the ball. I enjoy that side of it as well. If we can spend more time working with the ball then everyone will enjoy it.

I spent the best part of 20 years trying to stop people like Chris Waddle from playing. Now I'm convinced that good touch and loads of movement are the way forward.

I would say Pep Guardiola's No. 1 quality is that he sees the technical and tactical aspect of a game really fast.

Now and again, you may be picking a pass or two in behind, making something happen, but when we're attacking - especially at Liverpool - I'm focusing on protection, being disciplined, being careful, worrying about counter-attacks, things like that.

Someone said that my coaching is a combination of Milan's defensive discipline and the Dutch propensity for attacking football, and I think that is a fair description.

As I'm growing up, going into holding midfield, I'm watching Busquets quite a lot for Barcelona. The way he controls the game, his reading of it, technically, defensively - everything about him cuts him out above the rest. I'm really enjoying watching him.

We try and play football in a positive way. Any team has to be defensively organised, but you have to look at the attributes of the players and play to their strengths.

When teams play good football, it tends to create chances for the striker.

The Messi of the early years was a phenomenon, but he always wanted to finish off the move. Now he goes past one, two, or three players and is happy to give an assist to a team-mate - it makes him more dangerous and more difficult to stop than ever before.

I had a good football intelligence. I didn't need 10 games to get used to a position. I could go out and do a job.

I love this style: get the ball back quickly, then play possession with so many combinations. When you watch that, you get the feeling you want to go out on the pitch and play football with your friends and just enjoy yourself. City and Barcelona are great examples.

I like Southgate as a manager, what he brings. He always wants the ball and adapts to the players.

I do not know if we play the most beautiful or attractive football, but we certainly play more intelligently, more functionally and more precisely than anyone else.