By Alan Smith for "The Daily Telegraph" 24/8/98
After an extraordinary summer that changed his life for ever, Liverpool's Michael Owen was back on familiar territory at the weekend trying to maintain the startling form that earned him world-wide recognition.
As a learning ground, there is no better place to progress than Anfield, where feet are kept firmly on terra firma and where the combined knowledge of joint-managers Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier will guide Owen forward.
Not that this particular striker needs bringing back down to earth. Have we ever seen an 18-year-old with more maturity and presence of mind than when the whole world wanted a piece of Owen during the World Cup?
But after the thrills of France 98 and his goalscoring start at Southampton last week, Owen faced the mightiest of tasks on Saturday in trying to penetrate the famous Arsenal back four.
With Robbie Fowler still sidelined through injury, Karlheinz Riedle partnered Owen up front - a combination which on the face of it should bear fruit. The experienced German international had problems last year with form and fitness but his guile and physical presence will act as a useful foil for Owen.
The two linked up only sporadically on Saturday, yet on occasions Owen saw fit to single-handedly take on the visiting defence. On receiving the ball, his first touch was always spot-on, as was his awareness of players around him.
Then, when in full flow, he gave Martin Keown, in particular, some worrying moments with those direct, darting runs. The cheekiness has not disappeared, either. After nutmegging Ray Parlour he could not resist a smile before running off in triumph.
It is also interesting to hear the opinions of seasoned professionals when a new goalscoring talent arrives on the scene. Every Premiership defender that I have spoken to, players who have seen them all come and go over the years, confirm that this boy is indeed a bit special.
It is not just the dazzling pace, they say, but Owen's inner resolve and unshakeable faith in a prodigious ability.
Of course, there are some aspects of his game that need working on. When his own defenders were on the ball looking for an option, Owen sometimes remained too static rather than changing position to give his team-mate and indeed his marker something else to think about.
But to put things in perspective, the Arsenal game was only the 40th league appearance of a fledgling career. Houllier admits himself that from now up until the age of about 26, Owen will learn so much more from training and matches.
Although he could not break the deadlock, Owen did enough on Saturday to suggest that last season's form was not merely a lucky streak. Indeed, if he is not already, this confident teenager seems well on the way to becoming one of the world's very best strikers.