JOE COLE has taken a swipe at Jose Mourinho by
insisting he can finally express himself in a Chelsea shirt under
Phil Scolari.
The new Blues boss started work this week and has
already impressed the star-packed squad. Under his previous
managers, Cole was rarely able to demonstrate the tricks and flicks
that marked him out as England's most promising teenager in the
90s. But the midfielder is now ready to sparkle again under
Scolari, who was renowned for his entertaining football during
stints in charge of Brazil and Portugal.
Cole, who was forced to become part of rigid formations
under Mourinho and later Avram Grant, said: "I'm getting a good
vibe from Scolari. "It is early days but he seems very approachable
and has a huge football pedigree. "I'm really excited to play for
him, I'm chomping at the bit to get fit and out there.
"The way he sets his teams up, I've been waiting for it
my entire career — a manager who wants to play the right way. "I'm
nearly 27 now and have been waiting for someone like him to come
along. "He already has the respect of the boys and has settled in
nicely. I think it's going to be happy days for everyone."
Cole also revealed he has been talking to Portugal ace
Paulo Ferreira, who played under Scolari at Euro 2008. He added:
"From what I know about the way he set up Portugal and Brazil, and
watching them play it was beautiful football, there are plenty of
players who like to get the ball down, I'm so excited. "I spoke to
Paulo about him and people who have played for him have a lot of
respect for him and say what a good manager he is.
"That's a good sign because normally whenever you speak
to people about a manager you often get mixed opinions. But
everybody seems very complimentary."