Ashley Cole has opened up about his ‘whirlwind’ first two weeks in charge of Serie B side Cesena FC, and the nature of how difficult it has been to settle into life at his new club.
Cole took his first leap into management in mid-March when it was announced that he would be taking over at Cesena, leaving his role as Lee Carsley’s assistant at England Under-21s.
Cole, who has a win percentage of 50 per cent from his first two games in charge, has also served as Frank Lampard’s assistant at Everton and Chelsea, and held the same role at Birmingham City when Wayne Rooney was in charge. But now he wants to ‘prove a lot of people wrong’ in his new role as the No 1.
‘It’s been quite a whirlwind but an enjoyable one,’ Cole told the Could It Be Magic? podcast.
‘Lost my first game, an eye opener, but got the opportunity three days later to play at home in front of our fans, and a good three points were needed. Keeps us in the playoffs. I am really enjoying it so far.’
One of Cole’s closest allies, Carsley, admitted that he had seen signs of ‘frustration’ from the former Chelsea full-back at a lack of managerial opportunities in English football before his move to Italy.
Ashley Cole has taken up his first managerial job at Serie B side Cesena FC until June 2026
And the retired England full-back, who played 107 times for his country, is keen to establish himself as a manager by doing things his own way.
‘I have to be different,’ he continued. ‘I can’t be like the other managers (out there). It was important that I have to find my way in the game a little bit. But the players have got to believe in me and trust me.
‘The second game didn’t start as well as we wanted. We had moments in the game where we looked good, and then you go 1-0 down, and you feel like, oh, here we go again.
‘You get a little respite at half-time. It was important for me to give a team talk and get the players to still trust in what I’m asking them to do, but just do it better and quicker. Second half, we come out and see a lot of positives, and then we win the game 3-1.
‘It’s a great opportunity to get closer to the fans because it has been hard. I’m kind of an outsider coming into their club. Everyone will say “no experience” – that’s the label I get. So it has been hard.
‘I still have to prove a lot of people wrong. It was my second game, my first game at home. It was a little taste of what’s to come. But a lot of work to do.’
This isn’t the first time Cole has moved to Italy in a professional capacity. In 2014, he left Chelsea for Roma, spending just two years in the country’s capital.
Shortly after his move to Rome, he met his wife Sharon Canu, with whom he shares son Jaxon, seven, and daughter Grace, five.
However, despite having been with the Italian model for 12 years and having lived in the country before, adapting to life back in the country is proving tricky for Cole.
He added: ‘I think the language is massive. It is important, and I struggled to get a number two. I literally jumped in the puddle, jumped in the mud, and just went… I’m just going to have to go. It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
Cole is married to Italian model Sharon Canu (right) but admits he needs to improve his knowledge on the language
‘And I was like, that is what it is. You know, you have to sink, or you swim, and right now it’s looking all right. It’s tough because I’ve never been in this position. I didn’t know what to expect.
‘It’s been hard getting around the language a little bit. I lived in Italy for a year and a bit. My wife is Italian, but I don’t really practice speaking it. So you know going back to the basics again of understanding the little words to get me by.
‘But now I need to continue to have conversations with players and just tighten up on my language a bit. But doing the 11 v 11 stuff, I didn’t do too much 11 v 11 as an assistant.
‘So that would probably be the main difference, really, where you set up your team, how you are going to press, when you get in a mid-block? Are you going to set up. Are you going to be aggressive. Defend your box? It’s like a lot of details to get in.
‘But like I said you know it is a challenge. But I’ve watched and been around enough coaches and managers to understand it and pick it up quite quickly. So yeah, it’s been good for you.’
Cesena are currently eighth in the Serie B, with just six games of the regular season remaining.
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