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Tuesday 1 October 2024

Ashley Cole

As arguably the best left-back of his generation, Ashley Cole was a mainstay for England for well over a decade. Having made a career of locking down the finest wide attackers in the world game, Cole enjoyed a career that seen him play for teams as varied as Arsenal, Chelsea, Roma, LA Galaxy, and finally Derby County. With over 100 caps for his country, too, Cole became a world-class presence in defence that made him easy to watch for fans who enjoyed his mixture of defensive acumen and attacking skill.


What made Ashley Cole so special?

Though never a regular attacking presence, he picked passes well further up the pitch and was rarely caught out of position. Regularly playing at a high level with his clubs, Cole was noted for his incredible week-to-week consistency and versatility. He could just as easily act as an overlapping attacking outlet as he could play a more defensively minded role.

His game was built on pure tactical understanding and reading of the game. Though fast, Cole was never the quickest or strongest; his ability to always be in position on attack or defence, though, was a priceless skill to have.

On top of his tactical intelligence, Cole was a technically sound full-back who could be relied upon to keep the ball and rarely, if ever, cough the ball up in tight and tough situations.


What does Ashley Cole do now?

Today, Cole is a pundit who we regularly see covering games for Sky Sports and occasionally on ITV for international games. He has also dabbled in coaching, taking part in coaching the Chelsea academy teams and has also held a brief coaching spell at Derby County.

Mostly, though, he is a pundit with a growing reputation who is appearing more and more regularly.


Friday 12 July 2024

Wayne Rooney


Once heralded as the greatest player of his generation, Wayne Rooney overcame controversy, injury, and much more to become the all-time goalscorer for Manchester United. Coming through at boyhood team Everton, Rooney played regularly in the Premier League at an extremely high level, though it could be argued that starting such regular playing time at 16 contributed to an early, load-based physical decline that inhibited the latter half of Rooney’s career.

With 120 caps for England and 53 goals, though, Rooney was a key performer for his national side outside of tournaments, and played an increasingly important role in helping his nation regularly compete at international events, becoming the all-time national team scorer, and the record holder for outfield caps.

What made Wayne Rooney so special?

His physical power mixed with a dead-eye shooting accuracy both close in and from distance made Rooney a unique proposition. As a youngster, he was a gun-slinging forward who could score with regularly and easily drop into midfield to control games with his incredible passing range and vision.

Despite regular issues with weight and fitness during his career, Rooney worked extremely hard and was commonly involved in pressing moves that would lead to goals for his club and national side. His never-say-die attitude mixed with a knife-between-the-teeth approach to the game made Rooney an outstanding player to watch.

Though his physical issues eventually did lead to a drop-off, even late-stage Rooney was capable of moments of pure genius, scoring goals with aplomb and regularly being decisive in key moments.

What does Wayne Rooney do now?

Today, Rooney is currently the manager of Derby County, helping to keep the Midlands club in the English Championship, the second-tier, on the final day of the 2020-21 season. Rooney is expected to be involved in management and coaching for years to come.


Saturday 3 February 2024

Steven Gerrard

A natural midfield force of nature, Liverpool born and bred legend Steven Gerrard is the face of a generation. With over 100 caps for England and a lifelong association with Liverpool FC, Gerrard played a key role as the Reds returned to relevance in the 2000s after a dark era of the 1990s.


Across his career, he played over 500 league games for Liverpool, scored well over 100 goals, and became a legend as he played a crucial role in the club capturing the 2005 UEFA Champions League and 2006 FA Cup trophies. Though he never won a league title, Gerrard is undoubtedly a legend at Anfield.

What made Steven Gerrard so special?

He combined the finishing of a second striker with box-to-box energy, a world-class passing range, and a stunning desire to get forward and back to help his team out. A player with limitless energy, incredible vision, and some of the best shooting seen from a midfielder, he provided his team with a spark that was almost impossible to lose.

As one of the best midfielders of his era, Gerrard was a force of nature with a habit of scoring clutch goals and making the most of any opportunity that came his way.

What does Steven Gerrard do now?

Gerrard is now a manager in his own right, having coached the Liverpool youth teams before making a move to Scotland. Managing Glasgow Rangers, the Englishman has helped his new team stop rivals Celtic from winning ten titles in a row, and looks set to have a highly successful managerial career.

He carries that same winning zeal and never-say-die attitude into coaching, making him a highly valuable asset for any team. For now, though, Gerrard looks set to be part of the English coaching scene for a long time to come.