An Ashley Cole Appreciation Article

          A while back I’d written an article praising the uniqueness that David Luiz brings from the defense for the team, and how he could change how people look at defenders traditionally, but there is one person who actually is considered the master of his position and has perhaps already revolutionized how people look at defenders, ofcourse, he is Ashley Cole. Often described as ‘The Best Left-Back In The World’, Ashley Cole passed an important landmark this week when he captained his team on his 100^th cap for England. Ofcourse, we all know that Ashley Cole doesn’t bring in much captaincy qualities and that the arm band was merely a sign of respect shown by the team for the service this legend has brought in for the team.

          Fans love him, others loathe him, Ashley Cole just doesn’t have a neutral figure in many people’s heads. And he has worked towards it, with his fine performances consistently making fans proud, but his personal life was a little messed up, and haters often look at it as a chance to hit back at him. Apart from the last season, the performance level of Ashley Cole was always impressive as he never failed to step up and show his importance for the team he is playing for, be it for Chelsea, or for the English side. At Chelsea, no one actually looked for a back up for the man, as he rarely had injury problems despite his massive work rate. Yuri Zhirkov was brought in as a back up, but the poor lad had to make up playing the wings or be benched as Ashley never gave a chance to the manager to let him be benched. And in England, he managed to bench even the highly gifted Leighton Baines.

          What we all love about Ashley is that he has massive attacking prowess despite being a defender. That must originate by playing as a striker in his teenage days for Arsenal FC, before making the left back position his own. And over that, he never ever abandons his defensive duties either. He gets back in time to perform his basic defensive duties whenever the team loses possession and to great effect too. He is the man who gave an ‘on form’ Cristiano Ronaldo headache during his time at Manchester United. And many even considered him to be ‘the best one-on-one defender.’ He doesn’t have a massive stature like Maicon and others have, he is average heighted and even thin, but when facing an attacker that counts to nothing. He can bully the attacker off possession and is brilliant in air too. Even if a player manages to wriggle past his challenges, he knows that Ashley is right behind him waiting for another chance to tackle. He is often hated by wingers as they find it annoying when they cant get the better off the defender marking them. 

Here is what a few professionals had to say about Ashley Cole:

Roy Hodson:

 “I have found [Cole] to be an excellent professional and a very, very enthusiastic and important member of the group and I’m looking forward to working with him for a period of time to come, he has done it with consistency and there is no reason why he cannot set his sights higher. I must say [100 caps] is an achievement we shouldn’t be underestimating and if people are going to praise his achievement it is something I would endorse.”
“It would be wrong to take him for granted. We are very much aware of his qualities and how much we need him down that left side. Because he is a quiet man, maybe for a lot of people he does slip under the radar. I know he is most comfortable when he lets his football do the talking.”

“He doesn’t want to give lots of interviews, he wants to be judged as a pure footballer.”

Carlo Ancelotti (2^nd October, 2012):

“Ashley Cole is the best left-back in the world at the moment.”

Phile Neville:

“100 caps for england is an amazing achievement the best left back this country as produced iMO well done @TheRealAC3.”

Steven Gerrard:

“If the crowd takes a moment to think about what Ashley has given in an England shirt over the last 10, 12 years, it’s been phenomenal. He has been probably the most consistent player I’ve played with.”

“We’ve all got thick skins – we can take the criticism. Sometimes it helps drive you on to prove people wrong and prove you are good enough to be at this level. Ashley’s big enough and strong enough to take any criticism. He deserves to be a 100-cap player.”

“When Ashley marked Ronaldo he was superb and had him in his pocket. There aren’t too many defenders who can say they’ve ever done that. There have been years when he has been the best left-back in the world and we’ve been lucky to have him.”

Wayne Rooney:

“Over the last 10 or 15 years he has a great servant for England. He is not one to speak a lot but he gets his head down and works hard.”

“He rarely misses a game for England. I’m sure he’s delighted and we’re all really pleased for him.”

Frank Lampard:

“Anyone who plays at that consistency level over 100 caps for his country, on top of what he does for his club…

“I know we have phases with fans in this country sometimes there are a lot of the club issues involved there.

“You saw 90,000 people there appreciated what a good pro he has been and how well he has played for England.”

Gary Cahill:

“He is an inspiration, I have been plugging away for years to get in to the squad and he has got 100 caps now.

“He has been at the top of his game for 12 years. It’s fantastic for him and I hope there will be many more to come for him.”

Joe Cole:

‘What a servant he has been for his country,to get 100 caps for any country is amazing but for England, with the competition he has had to fend off over the last yen years, it is phenomenal.’

‘It’s great for him to have his night. He’s an easy target because he doesn’t enjoy the media side of the game, he just wants to turn up, play his football and go home. I’m pleased for him. He deserves it [to captain England].

‘I was lucky enough play on the left side for England many times with him behind me.’ 

‘It’s a dream. You see him coming up in your wing mirrors, overlapping you every time, giving you options, and the one thing about Ashley is he never moans about not getting the ball, which was great for me. And his quality in the final third is brilliant.”

‘A lot of people forget he started out as a striker at Arsenal. I remember playing against him as a kid and he was a brilliant striker as well. He’s just a great player.

‘Anyone you speak to who has met him will say he is a top man. He’s one of the nicest men I’ve met in football. Because of what people read they may feel differently, but he is a true gent.’

          Ofcourse, I am omitting most of those ‘he is the best left back in the world’ claims or else this article would be flooded with names of personalities who have said that time after time.

          He had a bit of up and down period last season, and wasn’t upto the usual ‘Ashley Cole’ standard, but it was all understandable with the injury problems and rotation and stuff.

          Ashley Cole for Chelsea has been simply phenomenal, and has thus seen himself regarded as a legend already by the fans. He has been my favorite blue for more than 4-5 years, until a certain Brazilian
Geezer came and stole that place. Nevertheless, no one can ever forget the way he kept countless goals from going in the season we lifted the Champions League, or the number of chances he has created for his team mates to score.

          Yes, he doesn’t score many goals, and if you think about it, his contribution to direct assists also has gone down through the past years, but if you look at the build up to a goal, you could possibly see how Ashley has worked some brilliance for the team to score.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, I presented to you, the World Best Left-Back – Ashley Cole.

Thank You for taking your time out to read this article, I hope you liked it. Do leave your thoughts and views in the comments section, I’d love to hear from you. Cheers!

Follow Ashley Cole on Twitter: @TheRealAC3

Follow the Writer on Twitter: @T_L_Kuzhi

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