Joe Cole is getting close to recovering from his injury and he will be keen to get back onto the field and get his Liverpool career going again. When Cole signed for Liverpool in the summer, many of us expected big thing from the former Chelsea man. He did not disappoint during his first few games in pre-season and you only have to look at his performance against Rabotnicki to see the class of the lad. I read at the time some people saying that Cole has more skill than Messi (I am still not quite sure about that!) But there is no doubting that Cole has the talent and skill to be a great player and I am glad we have him in our squad.
Cole’s Liverpool career got off to a nightmare as he got sent off in the first game of the season against Arsenal. He missed three games due to suspension and has been in and out of the team since then due to injuries.
But now that the team is firing and Cole is getting fit again, where is he going to fit into the current team? Should Cole be a regular starter and if so where? The most likely place for Cole if he has to be in the team is wide on the left but we all know that is not his favored position. Cole wants to play just behind the front man and that is a role Gerrard has perfected behind Torres and now it looks like Kuyt could also be filling in that position. It is a headache for Hodgson, but I am sure it is a headache he would like to have given that it means he has options.
By having Cole on the left, we do not have much width down the left as Cole is not your natural ‘wing wizard’ but he has done the job there for England and Chelsea. Moving Cole behind Torres would be the most ideal situation as that is his best position but then how would that shape up the rest of the team? It would mean that we have Gerrard dropping back into midfield alongside Lucas or Raul thus Kuyt would have to go out to the right. It would be interesting to see what Hodgson does now given the return of Cole.
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We need him on the left as I do not think Maxi is feeling comfortable there. If we can have Torres up top, Joe on the left, Stevie in the hole, Kuyt on the right and then Lucas and Meirles in the middle then we okay.
Reina
Johnson Carragher Skrtel Konchesky
Lucas
Gerrard
Meireles Cole/Maxi
Kuyt
Torres
Joe Cole is best suited playing behind the striker. The beauty is that we can interchange the players during the game. Cole can start behind the striker and then later on drift to the left or right which will make it hard for defenders to pick him up. The fact that Raul can also interchange from the right to the middle is also and advantage and Gerrard can also do the same from midfield to behind the striker to wide on the right.
YNWA!!!!
Joe Cole is NOT a left winger!!!!!! We are wasting our team by playing him there, he does not get into the game at all from there. We still need to go and buy wingers i.e Ashley Young.
I think alot of people assume that modern day soccer is about having the best 11 in formations that never change. In my opinion, the modern game has evolved,and a successful team needs to have the best 16 to 24. That’s why I’m thankful he’s versatile enough to play in a few positions. I would assume that where he plays is less important to how the team performs. He may be best behind the striker, but if the team is not up to it, then being in his “best position” is pretty useless too. How about him in a 2 attacking midfielder formation or even pairing him up as a striker upfront? He sure can hold the ball and has a neat strike too.
In my opinion and from watching Joe, his best place is on the right wing…… Chelsea played him well in that position and we should try him out on that wing. Kuyt should be playing a free role like in the world cup….. that where he is more destructible.
For now until june I think:
Lucas Meireles
Maxi/Kuyt Gerrard J Cole
Torres
Then in january buy a young,toivenon and bentley
Maxi/bentley Gerrard Meireles Young
Cole/toivenon
Torres
Cole went to Liverpool because he wanted a chance to play in the hole behind the striker, he said as much several times after he came. He could have stayed at Chelsea and come off the bench to work out on the right, except he was always coming inside and wouldn’t do what Ancelotti asked of him – except a couple of times when he was very effective. But if what is in his mind all the time is that he wants to play Stevie’s natural game he better hope for injuries otherwise it isn’t going to happen. Maybe Kenny can get him to add some tactical nouse to his technical ability.