Is There Any Way Back for Ashley Cole at Chelsea?
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
It's a strange one.
From being the manager who was once celebrated for making
careers, Jose Mourinho seems to be breaking them these days.
At Real Madrid, it was Iker Casillas who was on the
receiving end of Mourinho's hard-line treatment. And now that the Portuguese
manager has returned to Chelsea, Ashley Cole isn't faring much better.
The past decade has witnessed Mourinho create a who's who of
European stars who have risen to the fore under his tutelage.
Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Costinha were just a few at
Porto. At Chelsea, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba became world
beaters, while Inter Milan's Diego Milito was transformed into one of the
continent's most-feared front men.
"I don't know [when Ashley Cole will play again],"
Mourinho said on Tuesday, as per BBC Sport. "I'm happy with the way
[Cesar] Azpilicueta is performing."
In a World Cup year, that has to be a concern for the
Chelsea left-back. In the same year his contract expires, it means double
trouble.
This season of all seasons, every player knows he needs game
time in order to be considered for his country come the summer in Brazil.
From once being England's—and the world's—leading left-back,
however, it seems time has caught up with Cole.
His form hasn't been what we've grown used to expect from a
man of his talents, and with him being replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta in the
starting line-up, the writing has long been on the wall.
It's one thing to lose your position in a team, but quite
another when it's to a player playing out of position.
In his place, Azpilicueta has given Chelsea balance
defensively. He may not venture forward in the same way Cole has down the
years, yet at the back, he has been impressive.
Indeed, we saw how vital he was in Chelsea's recent Premier
League victory over Manchester City at Etihad Stadium, putting in an
accomplished display to quell the attacking threat of Manuel Pellegrini's side.
It was telling that Mourinho opted to select him again when
Chelsea returned to Manchester for their fifth-round tie in the FA Cup against
City on Saturday, leaving Cole on the bench.
Right now, Cole is none the wiser as to when he will get an
opportunity to win his place back, especially given Mourinho's recent comments
and Azpilicueta's form.
He doesn't have time on his side, either.
Indeed, everything seems to be working against him these
days. His contract will expire at the end of the season and there are other
hotter prospects who are making a name for themselves—namely, Luke Shaw.
Despite rejecting him as a youngster, the Blues are known to
be long-term admirers of the Southampton left-back, as per The Mirror, and he
continues to show with each performance for Saints that he is very much the
future of English football in his position.
Cole, on the other hand, looks to be in the past, having
seen his fortunes take a spectacular tumble.
His last Premier League outing came over a month ago at the
KC Stadium when Chelsea defeated Hull City 2-0. The headlines that day were of
Eden Hazard's brilliance and continued rise; the worrying subplot being Cole's
demise.
He was given a tough 90 minutes against Ahmed Elmohamady
that day, who used his pace to good effect to expose Cole.
The Englishman looked way off the pace—a spectator almost.
From the way things appear right now, spectating from the sidelines is how he
will be finishing his Chelsea career too.
If it proves to be so, what a considerable anti-climax to an
exceptional career it will be.
We've seen it often. Times move on, football changes and
some are left behind. As Mourinho's new Chelsea continues to develop, it seems
Cole is very much a man of the past.
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