KUALA LUMPUR: Former England striker Michael Owen has warned that football risks losing its natural artists to pure athleticism, arguing that modern players are being heavily "overcoached" to the detriment of instinctive flair.
The 2001 Ballon d'Or winner believes the tactical demands of the contemporary game have drastically shifted the balance away from pure technical genius in favour of physical work-rate.
Owen, who is in Malaysia for the AllStar Legends exhibition match this Saturday, said that while the overall physical standard of the sport has peaked, it has come at a cost.
"I don't necessarily think it's just strikers, I think players in general are overcoached nowadays," Owen told Timesport.
