Sport
JOE COLE – VICTIM OF FRUSTRATING ENGLAND OBSESSION
“These young players are our future. If we handle them like horses, we get horses.”
An unusual turn of phrase for most, but not Jurgen Klopp. But does he have a point? Are we obsessed with work rate, desire and rigid formations meaning that the most blessed footballers aren’t achieving their full potential?
One particular decline may highlight such plight.
Joe Cole’s recent move to League One Coventry is further evidence that his powers have well and truly diminished and, after hitting the heady heights of being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2006, Cole’s fall from grace has been nothing short of meteoric.
How could a player regarded as the “Cockney Pele” in his infancy not have reached the very top of the game, and achieved the superstardom his fleet-footed skills promised?
Youngsters are not always blessed with such ability, but when one is discovered and a furore created, it is down to his management and support network to get the best out of the said precocious teenager.
Ryan Giggs is the example we all turn to, and that fateful night when Sir Alex Ferguson gave him an ultimatum.
Cole was also one of the few that bridged that gap from promising youngster to Premier League star, but it all went wrong too quickly.
Always tipped to be a No 10, before that position became the norm that it is now, Cole was often shunted out wide in Jose Mourinho’s first stint in charge at Chelsea, and despite wowing crowds with some astonishing wing-play and crucial goals, the Portuguese often criticised Cole’s lack of defensive work.
On the international stage. Cole was also one of several victims who were deployed on the left flank, as England were void of any recognised left-sided wingers.
The decline continued, with Liverpool next to not utilise Cole’s best talents, before moves back to West Ham and Aston Villa saw him slip into obscurity.
The age-old problem in this country, domestically and on the international stage, is our pragmatism, and heavy focus on defensive duties/work-rate.
If Cole had been born in Spain, noticed by Barcelona from a young age and brought to the famed La Masia academy, Cole would have been allowed to play his football, do what he does best, and no doubt stay at the peak of his powers much longer than he has on our shores.
Archaic tactics and English obsession with the tireless workhorses hold players of such ability back.
Paul Gascoigne being left out of the squad for the 1998 World Cup angered many who had seen him bamboozle defenders up and down the land, Chris Waddle had to go oversees to find a club willing to take him on, despite his mesmeric skills and Ravel Morrison is rotting away in Lazio reserves, with his attitude and mentality not the ‘right fit’ for the Premier League.
Do we not remember Eric Cantona? His sheer arrogance, tendency to throw a strop and volatile nature made him a nightmare for many a manager.
However, United boss Ferguson knew how to treat his talisman, let him do as he pleased, whilst being there to offer support him, and eked the very best out of the enigmatic Frenchman.
Cole was never as difficult to work with as Cantona, but had all the attributes to replicate such success.
Yet, never allowed to play his football as he would have liked, Cole was victim of an underlying English philosophy that won’t go away – too much focus is on training drills, use of analytics and elaborate systems.
Carlo Ancelotti built his success on creating his systems around his players’ abilities, and that reaped rewards.
Cole simply never got his Ancelotti. Never had the support that Ferguson offered, and when he was playing his best football, Mourinho’s thirst for solidity sparked an alarming decline.
“If I had Joe Cole, I would build a team around him,” former England coach and development officer Kenny Swain told me recently.
“I had to fight for players like him to get their chance. He didn’t track back as much as others. One day hopefully these players will be appreciated.”
Cole has enjoyed plenty of success, but being English is a curse in the footballing world on occasion, and his abilities were allowed to dwindle too easily.
Will things change? Probably not.
