Joe Cole has launched a defence of Liam Rosenior, saying the focus should be on how his Chelsea team are performing rather than what he says in press conferences.
Rosenior has won six out of his eight games since taking charge at Stamford Bridge last month, but has often found himself on the receiving end of jokes – including from his own players.
There have been social media memes mocking him up as TV characters like David Brent from The Office for his press conference musings, such as saying ‘manage’ means you are ‘ageing men’ during his time at Strasbourg.
Chelsea winger Estevao also told his new boss that he ‘can’t believe’ he used to be a footballer after footage of him failing to control a ball during their Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal last week went viral.
But club legend Cole believes Rosenior should be heralded for his start in west London rather than ridiculed.
‘What I would say about Liam is that we should all stop talking about what he’s said and concentrate on what his team is doing,’ the 44-year-old tells Daily Mail Sport.
Joe Cole believes there should be less of a focus on Liam Rosenior’s musings in the media
Rosenior has been on the receiving end of jokes on social media and from his own players
‘As a manager, you’ve got no interest in doing press conferences and answering questions. It’s an obligation of the job. He could say something and thousands of people will pick the bones out of it and have an opinion.
‘But ultimately the test is how his team are doing. They’ve won six out of eight. If he can extrapolate that out for the rest of the season, they’d probably get Champions League football and will probably go far in the Champions League.
‘And all of a sudden we could have the Chelsea and the Manchester United manager going into next season, both being English with the chance of pushing for a title challenge. That’s realistic and fingers crossed that happens.’
Cole, who is working as a pundit for TNT Sports during this week’s Premier League action, including Chelsea versus Leeds on Tuesday evening – believes Rosenior is more highly scrutinised because he is English.
Having worked under the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho during his seven trophy-laden years with the Blues, Cole said he ‘couldn’t care less’ about what his managers said publicly as long as the relationship behind closed doors was strong.
‘When a foreign manager is speaking broken English, they just say what they say and it comes out in a generic way… so nobody really picks the bones out of it.
‘But because of all the nuances of language and what you know about your own culture, it is very difficult for an English manager to express themselves.
‘I think any other manager who speaks a different language will turn up and speak and that’s not part of it. But with an English manager, one word out of step or a joke that falls on his feet in a press conference – I think sometimes we jump on what they do or say.
Cole played under the likes of Jose Mourinho during a trophy-laden seven years with Chelsea
‘And it’s almost irrelevant to a certain degree. The body of work is the football, the game.’
He added: ‘As a player I couldn’t care less how a press conference has gone.
‘Carlo said nothing in press conferences and it was brilliant. Jose was box office. The main thing is that relationship once you’re in the building and the training ground. That’s the crucial part.’
Cole, however, does admit that Rosenior – who he considers a friend – has to steer Chelsea to a Champions League place otherwise the season would be a disappointment.
‘It’s par for the course,’ the former England midfielder explained. ‘This is the fourth year of the five-year plan to be competing.
‘You would imagine leading into another summer where you can tweak the squad again that having Champions League football will be vital.
‘To be honest I thought they would be a lot more comfortable than this. They’ve already sacked a manager, which is never a good thing. But Liam’s come in and done a great job. We’ll see where they are. The next six weeks are crucial.
‘I do (think it would be a disappointment if they didn’t qualify) because of the quality of the squad, the players and the manager, who’s had a great start. It’s a competitive league so I wouldn’t like to use the word failure. But ultimately, I would expect Champions League football.’
Cole believes Cole Palmer looks ‘happy’ at Chelsea amid speculation linking him to Man United
Should Rosenior secure a spot in the competition, he will need his key players fully bought in and firing on all cylinders.
Arguably Chelsea’s biggest star, Cole Palmer, bagged a hat-trick against Wolves on Saturday and was dismissive when asked about speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.
Cole, who himself played in a similar No 10 position for the Blues before leaving for Liverpool in 2010, believes Palmer looks ‘happy’ at Stamford Bridge.
‘I was a lot older than him (when I left Chelsea),’ he said. ‘But my advice is that if you’re happy, and he seems happy, and you’ve got a team that’s capable of challenging, that’s going to be crucial for Cole.
‘He’ll want to know that the team can go with him to win things. Are the owners building the team around him? He’s that type of player.
‘So we’ll see. But Cole said (the speculation) is rubbish and he wants to concentrate on his football. I’m really happy the Chelsea fans let that be the case.’
He also believes it would be a ‘travesty’ if Palmer isn’t on England’s flight to the World Cup in the summer, but admits it may be difficult for the 23-year-old to force his way in with the abundance of attacking talent at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal.
‘He should be down on the plane, absolutely,’ Cole said. ‘But the problem is, and the benefit for England is, that we’ve got so many superb No 10s.
‘They’re all playing well. Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham – the competition’s high.
‘Tuchel will probably only start with one of that type of player, because he’s quite pragmatic. Spaces are limited, so he has to play well. But it’ll be a travesty for a player like Cole not to be on the plane.’
This week’s set of Premier League fixtures will all be broadcast on TNT Sports and discovery+
