A familiar name for fans all over the world, Ashley Cole, the former England international, who just finished his career this summer, returned to his former home team Chelsea at the age of 38 as an ambassador.
Last month, Cole visited Japan with the team at an event hosted by The Jucker Horse Tire, a commercial on the chest of a Chelsea shirt, where the legendary left-back was confident in Lampard's coaching and Chelsea's future.
On July 18, 2019, Yokohama, Japan, Ashley Cole participated in Chelsea's training and preparation for the 2019 International Football Friendly Match. Images of this article Visual China
On and off the pitch, Lampard is a natural leader
'Inviting Frank (Lampard) back is a good plan for the club. The first words he sat down, Cole did not forget to support his old partner, who is also the current manager of Chelsea Lampard.
In Cole's eyes, Lampard is the kind of natural leader, whether as a player or as a coach, "I have the privilege of witnessing his growth, he is the player who scored the most goals in Chelsea's history, it is not easy to do that. What's more, he's been a leader on the pitch and I'd love to see him play a different role at Chelsea as a coach. Honestly, the first time you see him standing on Stamford Bridge as a coach would be a wonderful experience. ”
Cole entered Chelsea in 2006, five years behind Lampard, and in 2014 the two bid farewell to the team at the same time, spending eight years together at Stamford Bridge.
Last season, when Lampard was in charge of Derby County, Kerr also spent the last of his professional career under his former teammates, and the two are not unfamiliar.
Cole believes that a restructured Chelsea just needs a veteran like Lampard to take the helm, "The answer is clear, when a coach takes office, he needs the support of the fans and the club, the fans here love Frank and he will start working in a good atmosphere from the beginning.
As for the familiarity up and down the club, In Kerr's view, it is also Lampard's coaching advantage, "As for the club and the players, there is probably no one who is more familiar with Chelsea than him, which means that he will be much easier in all aspects of the run-in. ”
The blues are undoubtedly in the process of renewal, this transfer period they lost their best player Hazard, but also lost manager Sarri, especially the club is also suffering from the transfer ban (the last two transfer windows can not sign new players).
Cole and Lampard.
Chelsea's new season will shine
How can Lampard keep the team competitive?
Kerr admits that it's key to tapping potential from within the squad, "It's going to be a tough job, but I'm sure he [Lampard] can do it well, he gave youngsters a lot of opportunities last season in Derby County and he'll do the same thing at Chelsea, and that can help the team." ”
In the meantime, Kerr also named a player who, in his eyes, represents the future of Chelsea, "There are a lot of young people in the team now, this is a challenge, but also an opportunity." For example, Mason Mount, I predict that he will shine in the new season, and you should not be surprised. ”
Born in 1999, Mason Mount was hailed early on by Chelsea star Zola. In the eyes of many fans, he is a younger De Bruyne who plays as a central defender.
It is worth mentioning that Mount was originally from chelsea youth training, and in the 2017/2018 season, he was loaned to Vitesse in the Dutch League, contributing 14 goals and 9 assists in 32 appearances, and continued to be loaned out to Derby County in the Championship last season. Arguably, he received Lampard's words and deeds earlier than anyone else on the team.
Chelsea are currently full of newcomers, in addition to Mason, the newly joined Pulisic is only 20 years old and has already emerged in the warm-up game.
Cole is happy to see the young people's sharp edge, but he also gave his own advice, "There are a lot of young people now, they first need to train harder, I have to say, there is a coach who trains hard and plays hard, and will continue to give them opportunities, but in the end you have to rely on your performance to prove that you can do it." 」 ”
Cole himself is a young and famous player, making his first-team debut for a top league team at the age of 19, making his Premier League debut at the age of 20, and playing for the national team at the age of 21... He believes that challenges and opportunities go hand in hand, "The current team can actually give more space to young players. ”
For fans who love Cole, his return to Chelsea is not a surprise, but Cole has not been added to Lampard's coaching staff as he wishes. Not so long ago, Lampard said Cole would be a great addition to the coaching staff.
Kohl (first from right) prepares for a friendly match in Japan.
The return begins with the team ambassador
According to Cole's own ideas, he needs to play another new role at the moment - chelsea's image ambassador, and from the current point of view, Cole's performance is quite competent.
During the team's match against J-League team Kawasaki Striker, a chinese fan watch group organized by the team's sponsor, Yokohama, also came to yokohama. An important part of their trip was a photo with the Europa League winners, who were caught off guard by Cole's "attack" as Chinese fans stood in front of the trophy with joy.
Cole gave the Chinese fans who were present a "big surprise".
According to Chengdu fan He Zhibin's recollection, "When we were grouped in front of the trophy, suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder, and I heard a 'one more', which startled me, and looked back to see that it was actually Cole, which was a fantastic experience." ”
Obviously, this was a happy "fright", tang Yimei, a female fan from Wuhan, even cried out "ah" at that time, "First I was frightened, and the first reflex was to scream, but when I saw Cole, this cry turned into happiness and excitement."
This is a gift specially sent by the sponsor Youke Haoma Tire to the Chinese fan group, for this specially arranged for the fans of the watching group to meet, the fans have feedback "surprise and enjoyment", not only to get the autograph but also have the opportunity to communicate and take photos with Cole at zero distance, so that the fans of the watching group returned with a full load.