http://www.uefa.com/competitions/WorldCup/news/Kind=8192/newsId=221687.html
Cole covets Scholes role
Thursday, 2 September 2004
By Andrew Warshaw
Ever since Joe Cole burst on to the scene as arguably English football's most
dazzling midfield prodigy since Paul Gascoigne, the game has been waiting for
him to live up his billing.
New opportunity
Few can blame Cole for having been underused by both club and country in recent
seasons, but as one door shuts, as footballers love to say, another opens for
the talented midfield player - starting with England's forthcoming back-to-back
2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Selection headache
Paul Scholes' surprise decision to retire from international football left
many, not least England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, wondering how the highly
regarded Manchester United FC player would be replaced for Saturday's game in
Austria and the fixture against Poland four days later.
Easy succession
At 22, Cole is now aiming to become Scholes' long-term successor, providing
vision and versatility in midfield after failing to feature for England during
UEFA EURO 2004. And there have been times when the Chelsea FC player wondered
if he would ever get a decent chance to prove his worth.
Frustrating role
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating," Cole told uefa.com. "At EURO
2004 I was in the games room all the time playing pool or on the computers. In
fact I spent most of the tournament there. I was desperate to come on in
matches but it was important for the squad for me to be professional about it."
Reassuring hand
It was the same for Cole at Chelsea last season when he started 18 Premiership
games but felt it should have been more. When Jose Mourinho told Cole how much
he rated just him two days after replacing Claudio Ranieri as Chelsea coach, it
was music to the ears of a player who had got used to life on the margins.
'A good run'
"I would not say all the anticipation about me has been a burden, I've just had
to live with it," said Cole. "I've had a lot of games under my belt for such a
young player and captained a Premier League side at 21 when I was at West Ham
[United FC]. By the time I'm 29 or 30 I want to be at the peak of my game but I
need to have a good run before I play my best football."
New position
Mourinho, who threw Cole into an attacking midfield role on their pre-season
tour of the United States, is now seemingly giving Cole that run. "You get
labelled in the game and people picked up on it whenever I used to lose the
ball in midfield," said Cole. "Given the right chances, though, I know there's
a lot more to come from me."
Heir apparent
Chelsea and England team-mate Frank Lampard certainly sees Cole as Scholes'
natural successor. "Joe creates opportunities for others, gets into good
positions and scores goals himself," said Lampard. "He can play in the hole
behind the strikers or on the left because he's a quality player. If he keeps
playing well, he'll force his way in."
Scholes role
Cole, of course, echoes those sentiments. "I enjoy playing behind the main
strikers. I feel it brings out the best in my game," he said. "Paul Scholes is
a midfielder who can get forward in that way and it's a job I'd like to do for
England."
Fresh inspiration
Whether that happens, of course, depends on one man - Eriksson. But with Nicky
Butt ruled out through injury and England looking for fresh inspiration after
their EURO 2004 demise, Cole's chance could be just around the corner.
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