Soccer: Holiday helped Owen - Houllier

Michael Owen’s dramatic impact in his first ever Champions League match must have left the rest of Europe shaking in their boots, to the delight of Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier.

Owen grabbed a second-half hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition of Finnish side FC Haka to virtually confirm the Reds’ place in the lucrative first group stage of the Champions League and according to Houllier it is all down to rest and relaxation.

Here was a young man who had taken the 1998 World Cup by storm as a fresh-faced teenager, but had been hindered by injuries and had seen his golden boy image slip more than a little.

But three goals against Haka - with the promise of so much more to come - showed Owen is back and hungry.

Owen has, right from his mid-teens, been involved in some competition or other in every summer.

The chance to relax, recharge and return to action has been denied him. Be it a youth tournament, an under-21 event, a string of England competitions or big showpiece finals, Owen has not had a serious summer holiday since he left school.

As Owen prepares for the Charity Shield, England’s game against Holland and more European action, Houllier said: ‘‘Michael Owen has looked very sharp.

There has barely been a friendly that he has not scored in. He has continued where he left off last season when he was flying.

‘‘He’s so confident because he has managed to complete a full pre-season’s training, that gives you confidence and mental strength.’’

He added: ‘‘There have been several summers that Michael has not been able to complete a full pre-season build-up through injuries, but this time he has managed it.

‘‘He managed a few weeks’ rest this time too, and that’s also something he’s not always been able to do. That has also helped his preparation, that short rest did him good.’’

Houllier has great confidence in what Owen can achieve this season, adding: ‘‘What do I expect from him next season? If he just keeps at the level he’s at I will be pleased.

‘‘There will always be dips in form for strikers, but what he achieved last season and that amount of goals would satisfy me again.

‘‘They only seem to need a manager when they are not well, and he has been right now for some time.

‘‘He won games for us last season, remember away to Roma and, of course, the cup final he can do that for us.’’