Joe Cole expressed his observation about Chelsea’s recent performance in the Champions League, indicating that every big club has a unique identity that serves it well during its prime years. However, he felt the Blues had lost their sense of purpose during their champions league exit against Real Madrid.
Nonetheless, this does not mean that their sense of purpose is lost forever. Cole acknowledged that football is a complex business requiring much more than a huge budget to transform a club’s fortunes.
Joe Cole: "I know that myself and many others like Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, have a lot to offer Chelsea. We would love the opportunity to contribute. Chelsea has something special and it is the former players who can keep that alive and pass it on to the next generation."
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) April 20, 2023
Joe Cole On How Former Players Can Keep Reinvigorate Chelsea’s Form
Joe Cole pointed out in a recent article in the Telegraph that while developments in analytics have given us a clearer picture of the game, some aspects are much harder to define. For instance, clubs such as Bayern Munich and Ajax have a tradition of bringing their former players back to oversee the next generation, and this is because certain things can only be learned from experience. However, he acknowledged that experience does not teach everything that goes into making a club successful.
Cole went on to address that under the leadership of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, the consortium co-owners of the West London club, the new ownership has acknowledged the importance of investing in the club. They have implemented changes to the recruitment structures and the medical department, aiming to achieve success for the club.
The previous 20 years have set high standards that the new owner intends to live up to, but there is no harm in drawing inspiration from that era that former players like Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were a part of, even if it means borrowing ideas in the long-term.
The Former Chelsea Legend On Frank Lampard Being Appointed As Interim Manager
In terms of the current situation at Stamford Bridge, Cole mentioned that his former teammate Frank Lampard had been appointed an interim manager to navigate the club through the remaining difficult weeks of the season. However, this is a challenging task, as players understand that an interim manager cannot meaningfully impact their careers beyond the season’s end, making it difficult to exert control over the squad. This has been the case in other clubs as well.
