Roy Hodgson Confident About Joe Cole
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson expressed his confidence in Joe Cole, the former Chelsea midfielder who signed with the Reds over the summer. So far Joe Cole has failed to impress at Liverpool and there have been doubts about the England international’s compatibility
with the club.
Roy Hodgson was praised when he signed Joe Cole over the summer and that too on a free transfer, however, the player turned out to be a disappointment. Cole received a red card on his debut in the Premier League, missed a penalty in the Europa League and
has been out with a hamstring injury.
The midfielder has been out for six games and is set to make his return tonight for the Europa League fixture against Steaua Bucharest. The Liverpool manager is confident that the England international will improve his form soon.
Hodgson maintained that his new signing was going to improve his form. He said while speaking to reporters,
“I don’t know how frustrated he’s been. He would obviously have liked to hit the ground running but it’s not been possible, largely because of injuries.”
He added, “But he has a long time with us, a long contract and we know what he’s capable of doing. The sooner he produces it of course the better for me, but there is no pressure on him in that respect. He is a quality player who will come good.”
The English manager revealed that Joe Cole had suffered a crisis of confidence in his first season at the club. However, he was happy that his team mates and the Anfield staff were helping him to get past this difficult stage in his career.
He said, “Joe isn’t a naturally confident character. He suffers when things are not going his way, and it has affected him. Everyone at the club has worked hard to make sure he doesn’t take it too hard and take too much on himself, because he’s quite
happy to take responsibility.”
He continued, “Sometimes those players can take too much on themselves and push themselves even further down. Everyone at the club, but in particular the senior players and his England colleagues here, have done a great job helping him.”
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