Michael Owen has been reminded that central defenders don’t necessarily have to be giants.
Owen’s assessment of Liverpool youngster Joe Gomez has earned him plenty of ridicule online after the former Reds striker claimed that Gomez was too short to succeed at centre-half.
“I’m not sure Joe Gomez is tall enough to be a centre-back,” Owen said.
Now Gomez has been typically used as a full-back by Jurgen Klopp so far in his fledgling career at Anfield but he can be employed at centre-back and it’s expected that he will play in the latter position down the line.
Owen’s analysis came while he was on punditry duty for Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday night but the issue with his opinion is that Gomez stands at 6ft 2in tall, which is not short by any means.
And while Premier League centre-halves are often massive, a quick look at the list of some of the greatest defenders of all time tells you that height is not exactly a prerequisite for success at the back.
Paolo Maldini, Carles Puyol, John Terry, Sergio Ramos and Fabio Cannavaro (just to name a few) are all shorter than Gomez.
And Owen was quickly reminded of that fact after offering up his bizarre take on BT Sport.
Michael Owen on Joe Gomez being a CB
"He doesn't seem tall enough, he needs an extra inch or 2"
He's 6ft 2 pic.twitter.com/rDAsyh9FC5
— Ricky (@RickyMann4) September 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/TeamFA/status/908227552279441408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2Fsport%2Frow-zed%2Fmichael-owens-bizarre-comment-liverpool-11168108
https://twitter.com/igordon81/status/908033177045872641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2Fsport%2Frow-zed%2Fmichael-owens-bizarre-comment-liverpool-11168108
Michael Owen thinks Joe Gomez is too short to be a centre back. 6 foot 2 inch Joe Gomez is too short. smh @themichaelowen
— Red (@TaintlessRed) September 13, 2017
According to Michael Owen, Joe Gomez isn't tall enough for a CB.
Joe Gomez is 6 ft 2 in.
That's taller than:
Maldini
Terry
Baresi
Ramos— Rich Porter 🇨🇴 (@RichPorterN16) September 13, 2017
Michael Owen: "Joe Gomez is too small to be a CB" – He's 6ft 2"
Bobby Moore – 5ft 10"
Fabio Cannavaro – 5ft 9″
Carles Puyol – 5ft 10" pic.twitter.com/Z36EZ2pxtG— NOW Sport (@NOWSport) September 14, 2017
According to Owen, Joe Gomez isn't tall enough to be a CB.
He's tall enough to be a point guard, wind your neck in Michael.
— Liam 🇵🇸 (@LFCLiamG) September 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/RichieD28/status/908038055356968966
Michael Owen "I'm not sure Joe Gomez is big enough to be a centre half"
🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/XOqy3AYFvy
— Jãmie (@EssexLFC) September 13, 2017
