I’D be the first to admit my disappointment at how the signing of Joe Cole turned out. It wasn’t quite meant to happen the way it did.
When he first signed I thought that Chelsea had made a huge mistake in letting him leave and that we’d captured a player that would find it easier to discover his best position, his niche, in a much less hostile and ‘cliquey’ atmosphere at Liverpool and really begin to show something for all the much-talked about potential. It just didn’t happen.
Who knows why? Well, many – myself included – would point to Roy Hodgson as a possible block to any real progress from Cole; the system he applied just wasn’t conducive to the type of player the little midfielder is.
That’s not to say that Hodgson is to blame, just that Cole’s abilities just weren’t properly utilised in Hodgson’s system, one that has always been notoriously rigid.
It is also a very widely held belief that Cole is just one of those players who, despite having endless potential and supreme technical ability, just never quite reaches the heights that all were expecting. I don’t believe this for a second, because we’ve seen a player similar to Cole have a great deal of success at Liverpool in the not-so-distant past.
Remember our Champions League talisman, Luis Garcia? He was a player that always split opinion. He was either sublime or totally anonymous but he was one of the few players we had at the time that could turn a game with an outrageous piece of skill. Cole, too, is one of those players.
What we’ve got at Liverpool at the moment is a great squad of players with technical ability throughout. We have a group of superb defenders, a great keeper and a couple of strikers who will only get better during the coming season. We also have two local legends that can still offer varying degrees of contribution to the club. What we are lacking – the amazing Suarez aside – is a player capable of pulling off something others can’t do, and I believe Cole could be that player, if he is used in the correct way.
Following his loan season at French side Lille, the international midfielder has returned to Liverpool looking to get his Premier League career back on track. He was something of a success in Ligue 1, scoring 6 goals and added a few assists along the way. In a league notorious for a lack of goals, that is a relatively good return, particularly for a first season in a new league, with a language that Cole had never spoken in his entire life.
And, unlike the annoyingly mewling Aquilani (another player I was prepared to give a second chance to – not now), Cole has spoken highly of the club since his return, making it clear that he is determined that he will make a success of his time at the club should the opportunity arise.
In the Premier League, a player of Cole’s technical ability would normally cost an arm and a leg but we got him for free and if it does work out then he could represent upwards of £15 million saved on a top player. I believe that, should he be a part of the new manager’s plans, then the fans should welcome him back and allow him the second chance he deserves to have.
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i thought aquilani was a great player with good passing skills and a great footballing brain,he just didnt get enough time
What a load of tosh! Aquilani has twice the footballing brain that Cole has. I agree we should give Cole another chance for after all it has been nearly 3 years and we are still to get anything out of him! Don’t say we didn’t let him try. Mind you I must remember for the future that the writer of this article is a bit dodgy when it comes to footballing knowledge…..
LOL!!
Stop accusing others of dodgy football knowledge when you make glaring mistakes yourself! Get the correct facts. It’s not ‘nearly three years’, it’s two years and one of them was in France.
To be fair he’s already had more of a crack than Aquilani and Aquilani always looked decent and in possession of a footballing intelligence…
Joe? “notsomuch”
Aqualani and cole will benefit from possession football, lower tempo. Possibly spearing too. Carroll will need to step his game up passing wise and with the ball at his feet, but the squad could well Adapt to br’s philosophy
“And, unlike the annoyingly mewling Aquilani another player I was prepared to give a second chance to – not now).”
And why is that exactly? Anything to explain why not now? What exactly has the player done to evoke such ire? Right – NOTHING. The player himself (as opposed to his agent) has always said the right things.
Cole at least had role at the club – starting the opening match of the season – before departing after being shown red for a massively dumb two-footed tackle.
Aquilani – on the other hand – wasn’t even given a freaking squad number – which some might find humiliating. Yet he was our best player on the pitch for most of last year’s pre-season.
So please keep this unsubstantiated drivel to yourself, alright slick?
I want to see Pacheco ahead of Cole!
you were prepared to give aqua another chance [but not now]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
honestly i didnt know we had a secret manager pulling strings behind hodgson and daglish ………………
hahahhaaaa … why do you write within your means dude or is it dud !!!!
aaquilani is the best mid fielder liverpool have right now. To me, he is even better than gerrald. I dont know why he is not given the chance to prove himself. The only thing BR can do for himself is to keep him except he is willing to buy new midfielder.
Who’s Gerrald?
Am tired reading articles abt this and that without any major signings instead am seeing chelsea coming up with a strong squad with creativity players in it arsenal building up spurs and man united ,if man city starts spending there millions . the question is are we going to compete with these teams with that squad? How long can we hold on for our star players in an average squad? We need more money to start again not just saying
Any person with the slightest knowledge of football would know that Liverpool wont buy players early as they have a new manager and several of the players have not yet returned to training. Add to this that several players were out on loan last season.
The manager needs to see what he already has at his disposal.
Good to see some common sense. Well said!
i am pleading keep aquilani
Ergghh..I don’t know about both Aquilani and Cole. They do deserve their chances but I’m afraid LFC is running out of time and patience for them both. They are seriously costing the club a lot of money in terms of their wages. Joe Cole might sit on the bench next season and still he earns more than Suarez. That kinda pisses me off. The guy earns 4 million a year, that’s as much as what Torres used to make and his performance is not even on par, its ridiculous! I can see Aquilani struggling to to play a full 90 minutes let alone be fit for a whole season. Seriously, i just dont see it.
Mourinho, Hiddink and Ancelloti never played him regularly while at Chelsea. It only takes a minute to realise why.
Words of Ancelloti
“Joe Cole is quicker than Benayoun but Yossi is better tactically. He understands what I tell him.”
Words of Mourinho
”Joe has two faces. One is beautiful and one I don’t like,” Mourinho concluded. “He gave us dynamism when he came on,” said Mourinho at the time, “but after he scored his game finished. I needed 11 players to work for the team and I only had ten. If he wants to be a regular for England he needs to improve and be part of the team’s defensive organisation. He needs to make an impact on me – not the crowd.”
It’s obvious to me, he’s not very intelligent and he can’t understand tactical instruction and is unable to do what is asked of him by his manager. He does not fit into this modern tactical age of football we are now in. The sooner he is moved on the better.
Cole is quality player now he has confidence, english defences will suffer !!!
I thought aquilani was our best player in last years pre-season and should have been given a chance. He is definitely a better player than most of the midfielders were played last season.
Yeah, i really like Aquilani when LFC first bought him. I was so excited to see a classy italian play for LFC. But the funny thing is I’ve just realized that I’ve never really seen the lad play, only during pre-season and a few bit parts in several matches. We have not even seen what the guy is capable of in a Liverpool shirt and he has been with LFC for like how long?..3 years? Bizarre!