By Phil McNulty BBC chief football writer in Germany

Has including Hargreaves left England without adequate cover for Owen?

The sight of Michael Owen being hauled off after only 55 minutes of England's opening World Cup game in favour of Stewart Downing would have qualified as one of betting's long shots before the tournament.

Indeed, one question being jokingly posed before Middlesbrough's Downing faced the media on Sunday was: "Were you as stunned as everyone else when you were sent on for Michael Owen?"

And yet that was the move England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson made during England's 1-0 win against Paraguay in Frankfurt on Saturday.

As Owen forlornly made his way from the action, questions were instantly posed about the Newcastle striker's fitness, plus Eriksson's tactics and selection policy.

Owen was clearly short of match fitness, but the fact Eriksson then chose to replace him with a rookie brutally exposed the biggest flaw in the Swede's squad selection.

Eriksson attempts to console a forlorn Michael Owen

Eriksson, having named Theo Walcott in the squad, should surely have shown faith in him when Owen came off.

If he cannot, why is Arsenal's 17-year-old actually in Germany?

And more to the point, why was Spurs striker Jermain Defoe sitting at home when he is the identikit replacement for Owen, should he pull up short of fitness or need a break?

Eriksson instead decided to take all three of Michael Carrick, Jermaine Jenas and Owen Hargreaves - a nonsensical move.

The latter, harshly booed by England's fans when he came on as a substitute on Saturday, should not be at this World Cup.

This is not a criticism of Hargreaves, it is simply that his presence has crucially tilted the balance of the squad the wrong way.

The more immediate focus is on Owen, his current form and match sharpness, and we have been here before.

Owen was apparently unhappy that Eriksson replaced him, although images of some table-thumping showdown between the pair are hard to imagine.

Having known Owen since he emerged as a teenager at Liverpool, he is bound to be unhappy for one simple reason.

Owen believes, for every second he is on a football pitch, that the ball is about to come to him and he will score.

Do not be fooled by the boyish appearance. He is one of the most ruthless, single-minded and fiercely-driven personalities in football. The history books prove that.

Owen Hargreaves and Sven-Goran Eriksson

He will have been hurt by what happened on Saturday, but that is even more reason to play him against Trinidad and Tobago.

The debate has already started about Owen's role in this World Cup, and it is clear he is still working his way back to fitness after playing only 30 minutes of Premiership football in 2006.

But he remains the most natural striker England have in Germany, and it would be folly to even think of leaving him out.

Owen remains England's best bet for a goal, even when Wayne Rooney returns.

The Newcastle striker must be left to play his way into the World Cup, as in Portugal in 2004, when he started to excel and create goals for Rooney in the group stages and scored a brilliant opener in the quarter-final against Portugal.

He will also be taking note of the obituaries being penned about him. He has read them before and answered them before.

The biggest gamble Eriksson took was not selecting Owen - who is proven at every level - it was not selecting Defoe as a credible alternative.