Cole makes his point
Sunday, 30 May, 2010
Joe Cole hopes to have done enough to earn his place in South Africa.
Joe Cole is hoping he has done enough to make the final 23 as Fabio Capello whittles his 30-man squad to the 23 who will go to South Africa in the next few days.
The Chelsea star made his long-awaited international comeback playing ‘in the hole’ behind Wayne Rooney for the second-half as The Three Lions came from behind to beat Japan, and looked back to his best after so long out.
Having spent most of 2009 out of action after knee surgery, Cole has been gradually getting back to the form that saw him as one of England’s best players in Germany four years ago, and he showed his touch has not deserted him, setting up the equaliser and playing well in his new role.
But was it enough to make the final 23?
“That’s down to the manager,” he said.
“I have had a good ten days training, now had a good 45 minutes and just want to go and help England win the World Cup. I did alright, but the most important thing was we got the win,” he added.
It was a new role for him, and he revealed he spent only one training session getting used to it. “We did it just one day in training. But you have to have options going into a World Cup.”
And although it was far from comfortable for England, it was important to get another victory before the real thing starts in a fortnight’s time.
“These games are never easy. Building up to a World Cup you don’t want to get injured and to be fair there were some tackles flying. Overall it was a great win and a decent performance.”