Cole Talks the Talk, But Will He Ever Walk the Walk In Red?

GOING into the summer of 2010, Joe Cole was the hottest free agent on the market with a number of clubs fiercely battling for his signature.

A huge contract tempted Cole up north to Anfield where he hoped to be an integral part of a reinvigorated team looking to reclaim a Champions League spot after a blip season for the men in red. Two years on, Cole finds himself in a battle to claim a place in the Liverpool first team after two wilderness years.

On joining Liverpool, Cole summed up the magnitude of signing for a club like LFC in an interview with Liverpoolfc.tv “It’s a dream come true. I’ve only been here for 48 hours and my head is still in the clouds… I always knew this was a massive club but until you sign you don’t realise.” He realised that this was a chance for redemption after enduring a more marginalised squad role at Chelsea. In fact before he put on the red jersey in earnest he was saying all the right things.

He didn’t boast that he was going to tear up the league but instead offered a simple statement of intent, “I want to be a success here and I’ll do everything I can for the team to make it work.” Cole has always been a likeable player, one who does not look to flirt with controversy and one who clearly loves playing out on the pitch.

Indeed Cole seemed like a match made in heaven for Liverpool. We were in desperate need of someone who could act as a link between the midfield and the forward line and Cole’s technical prowess and skill with the ball seemed to fit the bill. The deal also looked incapable of backfiring, no fee was paid for his services and he’d already proved himself to be a successful Premiership player.

However, fate malevolently connived against Joe Cole’s Liverpool career with his Premier League debut exemplifying the difficulties he would encounter while wearing red. In fact, red was the operative word as Cole saw the colour after only 45 minutes against Arsenal with a poor and unnecessary challenge Laurent Koscielny.

The red may well have proved costly for Cole’s Liverpool career. He missed the next 3 league games which hampered his prospects of gelling in the Liverpool team; while he did play in the Europa League games, he played both for and against inferior teams as Hodgson picked weakened sides and the opposition was hardly fearsome. He was restored to the line-up in time to endure the demoralising 3-2 defeat against Man Utd, in which Berbatov provided a master class of finishing.

From thereon in Liverpool lurched from bad result to bad result and while Cole could not be blamed for defeats to Everton and Blackpool he didn’t offer a beacon of hope that he could be the catalyst to converting Liverpool into the thoroughbred team they seemed on paper.
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Injury then deprived Cole the chance of gaining the trust of the fans and shortly after his return the manager was out of the door and the benched Cole was out of mind. However, he was not one to lament his failings in February of 2011 he still saw good times ahead “I’m fired up, still positive and still got enough energy – I want to be a success at Liverpool and I want to be part of this club.”

Unfortunately for Joe, just 6 months later he would find himself not a part of the club and embarking on a new journey in his career at Lille.

However, the move to Lille is a signal of the strength of Cole. Few English players are brave enough to make the move to the continent but Cole embraced it and played well, particularly in the first half of the season. Forever the diplomat, in an interview with the BBC in November 2011 he acknowledged his fondness for Chelsea and showed respect to Liverpool when asked about the upcoming game and restated his belief that he was good enough to play for the Reds.

Cole is a talented footballer and he has always talked a good game no matter what colour shirt he has on. The conundrum is whether Rodgers can revitalise Cole at the age of 30 recreate his magic performances at Anfield.

If anyone is to stir something in Cole though, Rodgers certainly would seem a good bet in theory. Firstly, although Cole has great talent and skill he needs someone to control him and get the best use out of him for the team. There is no wonder that Cole performed his best under Mourinho where he wasn’t given a free licence and where he had to stick to his task or face the bench.

Rodgers is not only a friend of Mourinho’s but also a controlling manager. He has a very specific system and if Cole can be provided with the appropriate management he could prove to be a success at Anfield.

Secondly, Rodgers likes players with great technical ability with the ball and Cole clearly fits into this mould. Cole could prove to be a useful addition to the squad and while he may not be the first name on the team sheet he could be a great impact player and his experience can help bring along a team that is now bursting with young talent.

Now he’s back Cole has said he is ready to remove the blot on his CV from his time at LFC. Unfortunately, yet another false start has been provided by the Cole-conundrum as he lasted little over 20 minutes in the away Europa League fixture versus Gomel, before being substituted – after coming on as a substitute, this time lasting less than 10 minutes – in the opening Premier League defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

He has talked the talk, and now with the excuse of injuries, he can’t even begin to walk the walk.
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