England's 'world class' captain

Owen gets the armband from Sven-Goran Eriksson

By Phil McNulty BBC Sport Online's Chief Football Writer

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has paid tribute to the "world class" Michael Owen - who has gone from Champions League despair to England captain in seven turbulent days.

Owen was fiercely criticised in some quarters for missing three chances in the quarter-final defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.

But he bounced back in style with a brilliant winner at Sunderland to keep Liverpool in the Premiership title hunt.

He has now completed the transformation in fortunes by being handed the England captain's armband by coach Sven-Goran Eriksson for the friendly against Paraguay at Anfield.

Houllier has stayed loyal to Owen

Owen is England's front-line World Cup marksman, and Houllier has no doubts about the brilliance of the man who sunk Germany with a hat-trick in the historic 5-1 World Cup demolition in Munich.

Houllier told BBC Sport Online: "I came out very quickly to strongly to defend Michael Owen after the Leverkusen game.

"I thought it was very unfair that people were starting to have a go at him.

"Maybe some people were expecting me to blame him for his misses, but first of all I should say I thought that as a striker he had a very good game.

"He got away from good defenders and had three or four good chances. On that day he didn't score, but that doesn't mean he is suddenly a bad player.

"Michael Owen has got class - and he has got world class."

Houllier was rewarded for his show of support with the winner against Sunderland.

And he said: "What Michael needed was a manager who understands and a manager who backs him.

He has shown great mental strength

Houllier on Owen

"Players need their manager when they are in difficult period. Probably the fact that I stood by him so strongly paid off at Sunderland.

"Maybe he didn't score in Leverkusen, but he practically put us right back in the Champions League with his goal against Sunderland."

Houllier has a simple answer to why Owen's performances are constantly under the microscope with the World Cup in Korea and Japan approaching.

"It is because he is a star. He has had to show great mental strength, which is another reason I say my players have behaved like heroes this season."

Houllier has also applied the gentle touch to Owen's England colleagues Emile Heskey and Danny Murphy.

He said: "There was a lot of stick given to Emile Heskey at one stage.

"He was happy that I told him not to worry about that, that we believed in him, and we had great faith in him and his capacities. Then he started scoring goals.

"It was the same for Danny Murphy. Danny, at a time when everyone was having a go at him, scored the winner at Manchester United."