Cole Happy with Anfield Debut
Liverpool's new signing Joe Cole said he was glad to have played 90 minutes for his new club after he made his Reds debut against Rabotnicki Skopje in the qualifying round of the Europa League on Thursday. The Premier League-side won the match 4–0.
Cole, who made 183 league appearances for Chelsea between 2003 and 2010, scoring 28 goals, joined Liverpool in July after much speculation about his future.
Having been courted by Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal, Cole finally decided to join Liverpool, citing his chances of playing first-team football as the reason.
Against Rabotnicki, Liverpool's new number 10 impressed by orchestrating much of his team's attacking play from midfield.
"I enjoyed it, I needed the 90 minutes," Cole told ITV4 after the final whistle.
"I ran out of petrol a bit with 20 minutes to go but it was needed. It would have been nice to have scored but I'm sure that will come soon."
Partnered Well with Gerrard
In an offensive midfield position, just behind striker David Ngog, Cole excelled with his creativity going forward.
That Ngog and fellow striker Fernando Torres will be dependent on the midfield pair's delivery in the coming season became obvious during the match.
After 13 minutes, Cole clever flick played in Gerrard, who put Ngog through for a one-on-one with Martin Bogatinov in Rabotnicki's goal.
But Ngog made a mess of his chance, failing to round the keeper and ultimately losing the ball.
Cole would have more moments to shine in the game, as his curling cross found Ngog's head on 22 minutes. This time, the Frenchman managed to connect and score the opening goal of the match.
Gerrard said he was delighted with Cole's bright performance after the win. His new teammate's presence in midfield may see the captain sit a little deeper this season, but the two should be able to combine fluidly in attack to threaten Liverpool's opposition.
Cole's wish for first-team football looks certain to be fulfilled. The midfielder only appeared as a substitute for Fabio Capello's England team in the recent World Cup.
On his return to Anfield, where he has featured many times for the opposing team, Cole was struck by one particular change.
"The main difference is that I wasn't getting too much stick [from the fans]!"
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