Should Joe Cole leave England to further his career

As David Beckham limped off the pitch last Saturday in Milan, it not only signalled the end of his World Cup dream, but the end of the so called golden generation for England. Becks is joined by former team mates Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves in the treatment room and like fellow 2006 squad members Gary Neville and Sol Campbell; they’ll be watching the tournament at home this summer. It’ the dawn of a new era in English football with Capello slowly building things his way and he’s already shown that he’s not scared to knock out a few rusty nails along the way.

There is however another member of the2006 squad, who like aforementioned five has had his own troubles, but still has the chance to be part of the new era too.

Chelsea’s Joe Cole was one of the stars of the last tournament and is always mentioned as one of our potential match winners. But life in England for club and country has become stale since 2006 and this has not gone unnoticed by Capello, who said earlier this season: “He’s not back like the player I remember.”

With his contract due to expire in the summer, there will undoubtedly be no end of potential suitors for the former West Ham man, and at 28 there’s still the opportunity for one more big move.  But rather than simply swapping West for North London or heading up the A1 to Manchester or Merseyside, now’s the time for him to be looking further afield and have a go on the continent. 

The Young Ones

The former child prodigy shot to fame by scoring seven goals for an England youth team against Spain and by 17 he was in the first team at West Ham. He was the next big thing, with the flair and trickery not often possessed by an Englishman. This, coupled with the work ethic of the Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham was meant to the complete package en route to glory.

But what happened? The midfielder has never really gone on to achieve his full potential and in recent years he has stood still, being overtaken by the new breed of creative, scoring midfielders like Kaka, Messi and Ronaldo. In 173 games for Chelsea he has managed just 26 goals; compare that to Ronaldo’s 40+ in a season and it may seem harsh, but our once exciting new hope is found wanting in the stats department.

Now this is not a criticism of the English game but if he were a player at Barcelona there wouldn’t be such an emphasis on his work ethic or the need to fly in for a 50/50 ball. No doubt his natural ability and creativity would have been worked upon and allowed him to flourish, playing alongside players of a similar ilk and mindset. We don’t have the resources, systems or even positions in this country for a player like Joe Cole, excluding perhaps Arsenal in recent years. We play the game at 100 miles an hour and rate ferocity over finesse, with fans booing for a lack of effort rather than a lack of quality.  This is why the continent is more suited to the style of Joe Coe and he is still at a good age to make an impact in any top European league of his choosing.

Necessity

It may be easy to talk about what might happen, but in simple terms, it is essential that he does move on. He’s mainly seen as a winger, but he does not fit into a system for either club or country. His manager Carlo Ancellotti described him as a ‘Genius’ but he’s yet to find a place for him in his side. Also at national level, it’s difficult to see where he will slot in; there is endless competition on the right wing in the shape of Lennon, Milner and Wright-Phillips. The manager is already juggling positions trying to fit in Barry, Lampard and Gerrard. Added to this the emergence of Adam Johnson and the constant good form of Ashley Young on the left, has knocked Cole way down the pecking order. But none of the above have the craft of Cole, or that little bit magic and that’s what playing with other technically gifted players can bring out in him. 

Granted he does have this at Chelsea, but our culture has developed a stifling style of play often adopted by the opposition against the bigger teams. Smaller teams on the continent are less likely to compromise footballing principals in such a way and they don’t pose the same physical prospect of a Stoke or Bolton.

An argument against is that he will become another forgotten man if he moves abroad. But Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga are all live every weekend on British TV, not to mention the Champions League, which of course Cole will want to continue to compete in. Plus, players like David Platt, Paul Ince, and Gary Lineker amongst others were still picked for the national side whilst playing overseas.

History Repeating

Inevitable comparisons have been drawn between Cole and the last great creative mastermind we had in this country; Paul Gascoigne, and it’s easy to see why. Both broke into their respective club’s first teams at a young age, both with an uncanny ability to create something out of nothing and do the unexpected. Gascoigne chose a move to Italy to help develop his raw talent and allow him to bring the positive aspects of continental football back to the national side. Of course one must concede that personal issues affected his progress, but at the time the most gifted footballer of a generation chose to ply his trade on foreign soil.

Another former player Joe Cole could take the lead from is Steve Mcmanaman. He was of a similar breed to both Cole and Gascoigne, tricky, skilful and attack minded. Now although his decision may have been based on flashing Euro signs or the chance to have fun in the sun, it mustn’t diminish what he achieved in Spain or what a better player he became. The only downside to this argument is that England did not benefit from the switch, but certainly on a personal level it was a fine decision, especially when you consider the feeling of scoring a goal in aChampions League final.

Worth a Try

A prime example of this approach working in another sport is Johnny Wilkinson. The fly half was plagued with injuries after the World Cup triumph of 2003, but a fresh star in France with Toulon has breathed life into a career many were saying was finished. The good form for his club has also seen him figure once more in the national side.

It really is now or never for Cole, with girlfriend Carly Zucker due to give birth to their first child in the next month or so, it’s the perfect chance to start again and give it one last shot. The slick continental football awaits and if all goes to plan so does his England jersey. Of course like anything it is a risk, but surely it’s worth a shot in a bid to re-ignite his career and stop him becoming just another average Joe.