BARKLEY’S RECORD AT THE BRIDGE
’I WANT TO BE A MANAGER ONE DAY.. BUT FOR NOW I’M A PUNDIT WHO WON’T MINCE HIS WORDS’
a bit less spoken about because of Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Mason Mount. But he’s done a terrific job at Chelsea.
“In the last two games, against Liverpool and
Everton, he was brilliant. Absolutely fantastic.
“I have always thought he was a top player and I think he will be at Chelsea for many, many years.
“The challenge now for Ross is can he keep doing that? Can he be that player who drives Chelsea on to win trophies, like his manager was? I think he can.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Barkley (with boss Lampard, left) this season. He came off the bench to demand – and miss – a late penalty in a Champions League defeat to Valencia.
And he was accused of
Team
Games played Games started Minutes played Goals
Shots, Total (inc. blocks) Shots, on target Assists
Goals + Assists Mins/Goal involvement
But you’ve got a lot to live up to
Games .................... 648 Goals ....................... 211 TROPHIES
Champions League . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Premier Leagues . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 FACups ...................... 4 LeagueCups ................. 2 EuropaLeague ............... 1
MANAGEMENT may be Joe Cole’s ultimate goal – but he is not afraid to upset old friends while still a pundit.
The 38-year-old former England star, who currently coaches in Chelsea’s academy, has just passed his A licence and plans to one day take charge at a top club.
Yet that will not have him biting his lip when asked for his views on
BT Sport.
He said: “I’m paid to give my opinions. I’d like to think they’re well thought out. I try to be as transparent with them as
I can.
“The way the world is going, I think honesty is the right approach. People probably get upset sometimes by what I say. But we all get over it. It’s football, it’s opinions.
“You hear a few little whispers of people being unhappy. Footballers are competitive beasts and you can understand why they might feel
being unprofessional by Lampard after being pictured on nights out in Liverpool and Dubai before Christmas.
But Barkley scored a belter in Chelsea’s 2-0 FA Cup win over Liverpool earlier this month.
He then had two assists in their 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Everton, showing the form that convinced the Blues to pay £15million for him.
The 26-year-old midfielder is often criticised for his poor decision-making and tendency to over-elaborate – much as Cole was when he first quit West Ham for - All Comps 2017/2018 Chelsea 4
2 208 0
2
1
0
0
0 aggrieved at the things you say. But I think you have to be thick skinned and I think these young lads are these days. They’ve been brought up to be resilient.”
Cole (below, right, with fellow pundits Peter Crouch and Paul Ince) rejoined his old club as a coach in December 2018 and has plans to ultimately follow former team-mate Frank Lampard into management.
He added: “I passed my A licence about a month ago. That’s a big achievement for a young coach.
“Do I want to go into management? Certainly, one day. I’m fortunate to be in a position where if it doesn’t happen I’ve other options and BT Sport are fantastic.
“But when the time arises and if the circumstances are right, I’d like to have a go. There are so many ways and means of getting to where I want.
“I couldn’t sit here and say this is my path to the top. I’m just playing it by ear, trying to gain experience.”
Chelsea in 2003. But Jose Mourinho applied some polish to his rough diamond, and Cole reckons Barkley will follow in his footsteps and become a more complete player under Lampard.
“I am pleased if people see similarities between Ross and myself, because I’m a big fan,” added Cole. “I think I just developed at Chelsea.
“It wasn’t just Jose. He’s a fantastic manager. But I was playing with better players. More expectation. I grew into my body a bit. And winning trophies breeds confidence.
“I like everything about Ross. Technically, he’s spot 2018/2019 Chelsea 48 30 2725 5 82 21
6
11 247.7 2019/2020 Chelsea 20 13 1125
3 44 16
4
7 160.7
Total
on. The mental aspect of the game, he’s getting better and better at. Tactically, he is improving all the time.
“I just think he’s a top, top player for Chelsea and England.
“As football evolves, players like him are getting more and more valued. He is a fantastic player.”
Joe Cole is a football analyst for BT Sport and can also be found trying his hand at acting in BT TV’s behind the scenes video to celebrate its new range of flexible TV packages. For more information customers can visit