Let me start off by stating I’m not a huge fan of Ashley Cole’s behaviour off the park or what I’ve read about it to be exact. But as a footballer I think he’s a terrific left-back and I really think he’ll do well at AS Roma next season.

He might be thirty-three now but the player still does well getting up and down the left flank. Only a few years ago we all would have put Cole in our top three left-backs in the world. He’s a defender that works well with the forwards that play in front of him, offering reassurance with his tracking back and tackling. He also constantly offers runs that go beyond the forwards giving them an outlet down the line.

For whatever reason, Jose Mourinho decided Ashley Cole was surplus to requirements at Chelsea. I really can’t see it being down to performance as the player could never be called a liability whilst at Stamford Bridge. Although Cesar Azpilicueta had a fine season filling in at left back I can’t say he was better than Cole at his peak. Maybe Mourinho wanted to change things up a bit or perhaps Cole’s off the pitch scandals caught up with him in London.

But I don’t see why a move to the Italian capital can’t revitalise the former Arsenal man. Serie A is less frantic the the English Premier League and that could suit the veteran down to the ground. At Roma, Cole will work under Rudi Garcia. The French coach shows his veteran players plenty of respect and gives them a lot of responsibility in his teams. Last season, Garcia gave ageing full back Maicon a new lease of life and that helped secure the right back a slot in Brazil’s World Cup squad.

A bonus for Roma is that they’ll be getting a world renowned winner. During his career in England, Cole won over ten major trophies including three Premier League titles and a Champions League winners medal. Individually he has also won plenty of awards and plaudits, getting into various team of the year sides. Another big plus is that Cole has now retired from international football, which means he should be fresh for more Serie A matches and the Champions League ties.

Ashley has always been a very consistent performer, usually playing above average both for club and country in all competitions. I’d go as far as to say he was probably the most consistent performer for England during the ‘Golden Generation’ era. He is also a prolific performer too. During his eight seasons at Chelsea he only represented the ‘Blues’ less than forty times twice. Plus lets not forget he represented his nation 107 times. In fact I think he was missed by England during this summers World Cup. Against Italy, Leighton Baines was often left terribly exposed, Cole is a better defender in my opinion and his extra experience could have helped his teammates too.

As long as Ashely Cole joins ‘I Giallorossi‘ with a good attitude and determined to prove himself in Italy, then I just can’t see him not enjoying his spell in Serie A. The only person in my eyes that can hinder Cole during his stay in the eternal city is Cole himself and his potentially poor attitude. But I have my fingers crossed that he can become another successful Brit abroad!

Posted on July 9th, 2014 by scott
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