Player Review

Michael Owen is electric and clinical, but his dribbling and passing can be a let down sometimes. For the current SBC price he's worth the coins, but for his market price right now I would pass.

When the new batch of Icon SBC's came out I didn't feel the need to complete any of them as they didn't fill any of the needs in my club. But, after checking the SBC and market prices for the cards, I saw Owen's SBC was around 120k cheaper than his market price. I felt for a prime icon it might be worth trying and I had enough fodder in my club that it only cost me an additional 100k to complete. To me, it was better to go for a specific icon than trying my luck with the base or mid icon pack.

I threw him into a variety of squads for both Weekend League and Rivals. Pre-game it was a 4-4-2, but to test him out I also played 4-2-3-1 and 5-2-1-2 in-game. Most of the games I paired him with POTM Felix who would serve as the creative distributor at ST or CAM and would work to create chance for Owen. I also used him in a 4-4-2 with Headliner Milinkovic-Savic serving as the offensive minded CM. I found the most success with two striker formations as defenses had two forwards to worry about and made it easier for Owen to open up on his runs. In a single striker formation it was easy for the CB's to cover him and the offense was too predictable.

I was a little disappointed to see 90 pace on prime Michael Owen who built a legendary career off of his pace. In my first game with him on Basic chem, he was quite lackluster. He just didn't have the pace to eclipse the back line and get in behind. He would get caught by pacey CB's like Gomez and Varane, and if he can't break through on his runs he just didn't have the dribbling to be able to continue the attack. He just didn't have the quickness you need up front to break down the defense. Things changed once I applied hunter after 3 games. He finally got that little extra speed to get through the defense. His runs were more decisive and sharp, with well timed through balls it was easy to get Owen into space behind the defense. Even if the ball wasn't perfectly placed in his stride, once he did get it, Owen had the speed to stay just one step ahead of the defender.

His shooting is absolute class and was apparent from the start; basic or hunter, his shots were thunder and absolutely rocked the net. He has 4* WF but in game there is no discernible difference between either foot. Each foot is completely capable of absolute rockets. I haven't seen a non-Icon card capable of the shot power he can deliver and he can make the best keepers just flop around and look foolish because even with the lightest tap of the button he's gonna blast it in. Once he gets the smallest sliver of an opening, Owen will find the net because his finishing is absurd. The big redeemable quality for Owen is the finesse shot trait which can save him in many situations. Since he doesn't the greatest dribbling ever and is limited 3* skills, Owen can't always create clear openings for himself. But, if the opportunity presents itself, Owen can slot finesse shots in with either foot. He can even do it from right outside the box! Not that you will be amazingly consistent with outside the box finesse shots, but if its the only shot you have him in the moment, its worth a try.

Dribbling is a bit disappointing but I expected it. His small body type and lack of strength makes him easy to bully in the box. Lack of 3* skills can limit your ability to win 1-on-1's with defenders or open up space for himself in the box. His left-stick dribbling is pretty smooth though, and even when crowded in the box he's got the agility and slipperiness to create chances but its not gonna be 100% consistent as the top-tier strikers in Fifa. POTM Felix is much better in the box and 1-on-1's, and so is Headliner Zaha. Although, his first touch is really sweet and in combination with his upgraded pace from Hunter he really flashes into the open space after receiving the through ball on a run. Try not to do too much with him on the ball.

Passing with Owen is not anything to write home about. He can make the simple passes and is able to square the ball to the other striker or player making the run in the box, but that's about it. His through balls really take precise timing and power, the card isn't gonna help you out. I did manage 14 assists in 20 games with him. His runs can really open defenses on the break and playing him with second striker can create chances if you just time you passes correctly with Owen. Keep it simple and he will do what you need, but he's not a magician.

Defensively there's really nothing much of note here. I play sometimes with Pressure with Heavy Touch and Owen made a few tackles for me, which was nice, but I'm not expecting him to do that consistently.

In terms of physicality, he is short and not that strong, so he can't hold his own with top tier defenders. If you can't beat the defender with speed or with dribbling, it's likely Owen will get muscled off the ball. He's got 84 jumping but I haven't scored any headers nor have I tried. His stamina is good enough, but he will make a lot of runs in the game with "get-in behind" instructions so he'll start tiring out around the 80th minute and will be gassed.

In terms of value, if you do the SBC then I feel it is worth it. At his current market price of 525k, you're only 60k-80k away from Gold IF ST Rashford who has 5 star skills, higher base pace, better strength, and still has the 4* WF. Icon-wise there's also Hernandez, Suker, Sanchez, or Baggio who are a little cheaper and have other qualities depending on your needs. So, I feel buying Owen on the market right now is a bad value as Owen is limited in his dribbling and passing.If I had the coins I would have chosen another Icon. If he drops below 500k, then maybe he will be worth his price because at least he will be tradeable and the gap between SBC and BIN wouldn't be as wide.

Getting Michael Owen is really dependent on your squad needs. If you have the creative second-striker or CAM that can dribble and distribute AND you need a pacey striker than can finish, then Owen fits that role to T. If that's what you need and you want that added flexibility of chemistry links an Icon delivers, then he's good value for his SBC price.