Joe Cole, probably England's most technically skillful player, has said that his World Cup experience means he deserves a place in England's starting line-up for their opening match of this year's World Cup, which is against the United States in Group C on Saturday at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.
This will be midfielder Joe Cole's third World Cup, after appearing in the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea and the 2006 tournament in Germany, when he was probably England's best player.
Cole said: "Managers like experience, especially at the start of tournaments."
"It would mean the world to me to play against America and play in a third World Cup."
A couple of weeks ago Cole played in his first game for England - a 2-1 friendly win against Japan - for 20 months after recovering from a serious knee injury. In that game, he whipped the cross into the box that caused a Japan player to accidentally bundle the ball into his own net to pull the score level.
England are in Group C along with the USA, Algeria and Slovenia.
Cole's contract with English Champions Chelsea runs out during the tournament and Manchester United, Arsenal and Italian giants Juventus are all after signing him. But Cole, 28, says he is focussed on helping England do well in the World Cup and will leave any transfer business to his agent.
Yesterday, the England squad lived up to their Three Lions nickname by going for a wander through the South African countryside. The squad took a break from training to go on a safari with their manager Fabio Capello and the injured David Beckham, who is acting as an intermediary between the management and the players.
On the trip they came face to face with an elephant - could this be an omen that this year's World Cup Final will be England VS Ivory Coast? Ivory Coast are nicknamed The Elephants.
VS
ENGLAND v UNITED STATES, 2010 World Cup
Venue: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Date: Saturday 12 June
Time: 1930 BST
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live and ITV1; live text commentary and in-depth analysis on BBC Sport website
Full details of BBC World Cup coverage
Group C (in brackets is each team's world ranking)
England (8th)
USA (14th)
Algeria (30th)
Slovenia (25th)
]
Eye on the prize: Joe Cole's focus is in helping England to try and win the World Cup in South Africa and not on which club he is to sign for.
Joe Cole believes his experience could win him a place in the England starting line-up to face the United States in their World Cup opener on Saturday.
The midfielder, 28, played his first match for England in 20 months against Japan in a friendly in May, having recovered from a serious knee injury.
"Managers like experience, especially at the start of tournaments," he said.
"It would mean the world to me to play against America and play in a third World Cup."
He added: "It's a great feeling. I remember going to Japan in 2002 as a youngster and it was all new but I've still got that energy and I still love it and I love coming away to these tournaments.
"I'm back to my best and want to show it at this World Cup."
However, Cole was keen to state that under Capello's reign, neither he or the rest of the players were assured of a place in the team.
Saying his piece: England manager Fabio Capello exchanges angry words with a photographer before a training session at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus near Rustenburg ahead of England's opening match in the 2010 World Cup against the United States on Saturday
"The great thing about the squad now, which is different to when I have been in England squads before, is that you don't know who the manager is going to pick in any position," he added.
"It keeps everyone on their toes.
Cole had remained a doubt to make the final 23-man squad until he produced a good performance against the Japanese on his return to international football - his 54th cap.
After recovering from his injury, midfielder Cole found it difficult to cement a regular place in Chelsea's championship-winning side this season, although he was instrumental in the Blues' charge towards the end of the season.
However, it was announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the club on a free transfer in July.
http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/i/world cup images/mom_g_usa_576.jpg
USA beat England 1-0 in 1950 in one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history. It was the first World Cup that England played in after boycotting the previous three tournaments. Spain and Chile were the other two teams in the group.
The last time England played against the United States in the World Cup was way back in 1950 in Brazil. The United States pulled off one of the greatest shocks in football history by defeating England 1-0 in Belo Horizonte. At the time, the English considered themselves the "Kings of Football", with a post-war record of 23 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. However, the Americans had lost their last seven international matches (including the 1934 World Cup and 1948 Summer Olympics) by the combined score of 45–2. The odds were 3–1 the English would win the Cup, and 500–1 for the U.S. The U.S. then lost their next match 5–2, versus Chile, to crash out of the tournament. They would not qualify for the World Cup again until 1990. This was also England's first appearance in the World Cup as, previously, England told FIFA they were happy just to play in the British Home Championship, an annual mini-tournament featuring England, Ireland (then Northern Ireland), Scotland and Wales and so fell out with FIFA, leading to England withdrawing from the organisation for a number of years. The Scots, Irish and Welsh took the same stance. This British "mini-World Cup" tournament ended in 1984. FIFA also banned India from playing at the 1950 World Cup as the Indians wanted to play in bare feet.
When asked whether he ever thought the knee injury would damage his England future, Cole added: "It crossed my mind I wouldn't make this tournament but I never thought my career was over."
Cole also paid tribute to England coach Fabio Capello, whose style of management has impressed him.
"He's right up there with the best I've worked with," he said. "You need discipline at this level. Football has evolved and there is a lot of player power. He keeps the players on their toes."
USA keeper Marcus Hahnemann backs Joe Hart as England's No 1
By MirrorFootball
9th June 2010
USA and Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann. He is unlikely to face England in the two teams' opening World Cup match this Saturday.
USA goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has backed Joe Hart to be England's No 1 at the World Cup.
The Wolves stopper said: "I’d go for the new kid, Joe Hart. I’ve watched him play a lot this year
"Robert Green is a super goalkeeper but hasn’t had his best season. I think Joe Hart is one of the reasons why Birmingham did so well."
Hahnemann admitted his chances of facing England in the USA's opening World Cup match this Saturday were slim, with Everton's Tim Howard currently first choice for Bob Bradley's side.
Joe Hart is up against Robert Green and David James to be England's No1 goalkeeper at the World Cup
"No matter what I do, I might not be able to take that Jersey away from him," he said.
But the former Reading man has no doubt which England player will be causing his side the most problems this weekend, picking out Wayne Rooney as the biggest threat in Capello's team.
"Every time I’ve played against him he’s run more than anybody.," he said. "His workrate is second to none. He’s got the strength, the power, the speed, the skill, and the finishing of the best in the world."
The Three Lions VS an Elephant on safari.....does this mean an England VS Ivory Coast World Cup Final?
Riding into the horizon: buggies containing England's World Cup hopes embark on a safari in South Africa
Picture: GEOFF PUGH
Picture of tranquility: no snarling or swearing from Wayne Rooney after his well-documented problems in England's friendly against Platinum Stars
And just look at that: Jermaine Defoe (left), armed with binoculars, tries to steal a look ahead of Ashley Cole (right)
The A-Team: a buggy containing a very baffled-looking Michael Carrick drives through the South African plain
Cool customers: both David Beckham and Frank Lampard opt for the sunglasses on safari
Picture: GEOFF PUGH
I want to get off: assistant Stuart Pearce looks like he isn't enjoying his trip as much as Fabio Capello had hoped
Scouse safari: the new England captain thinks it still isn't as good as Knowlsey Safari Park
Keeping warm: several members of the England squad attempt to blend into surroundings with leopard-skin blankets
dailymail.co.uk
This will be midfielder Joe Cole's third World Cup, after appearing in the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea and the 2006 tournament in Germany, when he was probably England's best player.
Cole said: "Managers like experience, especially at the start of tournaments."
"It would mean the world to me to play against America and play in a third World Cup."
A couple of weeks ago Cole played in his first game for England - a 2-1 friendly win against Japan - for 20 months after recovering from a serious knee injury. In that game, he whipped the cross into the box that caused a Japan player to accidentally bundle the ball into his own net to pull the score level.
England are in Group C along with the USA, Algeria and Slovenia.
Cole's contract with English Champions Chelsea runs out during the tournament and Manchester United, Arsenal and Italian giants Juventus are all after signing him. But Cole, 28, says he is focussed on helping England do well in the World Cup and will leave any transfer business to his agent.
Yesterday, the England squad lived up to their Three Lions nickname by going for a wander through the South African countryside. The squad took a break from training to go on a safari with their manager Fabio Capello and the injured David Beckham, who is acting as an intermediary between the management and the players.
On the trip they came face to face with an elephant - could this be an omen that this year's World Cup Final will be England VS Ivory Coast? Ivory Coast are nicknamed The Elephants.
ENGLAND v UNITED STATES, 2010 World Cup
Venue: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Date: Saturday 12 June
Time: 1930 BST
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live and ITV1; live text commentary and in-depth analysis on BBC Sport website
Full details of BBC World Cup coverage
Group C (in brackets is each team's world ranking)
England (8th)
USA (14th)
Algeria (30th)
Slovenia (25th)
]
Eye on the prize: Joe Cole's focus is in helping England to try and win the World Cup in South Africa and not on which club he is to sign for.
Joe Cole believes his experience could win him a place in the England starting line-up to face the United States in their World Cup opener on Saturday.
The midfielder, 28, played his first match for England in 20 months against Japan in a friendly in May, having recovered from a serious knee injury.
"Managers like experience, especially at the start of tournaments," he said.
"It would mean the world to me to play against America and play in a third World Cup."
He added: "It's a great feeling. I remember going to Japan in 2002 as a youngster and it was all new but I've still got that energy and I still love it and I love coming away to these tournaments.
"I'm back to my best and want to show it at this World Cup."
However, Cole was keen to state that under Capello's reign, neither he or the rest of the players were assured of a place in the team.
Saying his piece: England manager Fabio Capello exchanges angry words with a photographer before a training session at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus near Rustenburg ahead of England's opening match in the 2010 World Cup against the United States on Saturday
"The great thing about the squad now, which is different to when I have been in England squads before, is that you don't know who the manager is going to pick in any position," he added.
"It keeps everyone on their toes.
Cole had remained a doubt to make the final 23-man squad until he produced a good performance against the Japanese on his return to international football - his 54th cap.
After recovering from his injury, midfielder Cole found it difficult to cement a regular place in Chelsea's championship-winning side this season, although he was instrumental in the Blues' charge towards the end of the season.
However, it was announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the club on a free transfer in July.
http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/i/world cup images/mom_g_usa_576.jpg
USA beat England 1-0 in 1950 in one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history. It was the first World Cup that England played in after boycotting the previous three tournaments. Spain and Chile were the other two teams in the group.
The last time England played against the United States in the World Cup was way back in 1950 in Brazil. The United States pulled off one of the greatest shocks in football history by defeating England 1-0 in Belo Horizonte. At the time, the English considered themselves the "Kings of Football", with a post-war record of 23 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. However, the Americans had lost their last seven international matches (including the 1934 World Cup and 1948 Summer Olympics) by the combined score of 45–2. The odds were 3–1 the English would win the Cup, and 500–1 for the U.S. The U.S. then lost their next match 5–2, versus Chile, to crash out of the tournament. They would not qualify for the World Cup again until 1990. This was also England's first appearance in the World Cup as, previously, England told FIFA they were happy just to play in the British Home Championship, an annual mini-tournament featuring England, Ireland (then Northern Ireland), Scotland and Wales and so fell out with FIFA, leading to England withdrawing from the organisation for a number of years. The Scots, Irish and Welsh took the same stance. This British "mini-World Cup" tournament ended in 1984. FIFA also banned India from playing at the 1950 World Cup as the Indians wanted to play in bare feet.
When asked whether he ever thought the knee injury would damage his England future, Cole added: "It crossed my mind I wouldn't make this tournament but I never thought my career was over."
Cole also paid tribute to England coach Fabio Capello, whose style of management has impressed him.
"He's right up there with the best I've worked with," he said. "You need discipline at this level. Football has evolved and there is a lot of player power. He keeps the players on their toes."
USA keeper Marcus Hahnemann backs Joe Hart as England's No 1
By MirrorFootball
9th June 2010
USA and Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann. He is unlikely to face England in the two teams' opening World Cup match this Saturday.
USA goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has backed Joe Hart to be England's No 1 at the World Cup.
The Wolves stopper said: "I’d go for the new kid, Joe Hart. I’ve watched him play a lot this year
"Robert Green is a super goalkeeper but hasn’t had his best season. I think Joe Hart is one of the reasons why Birmingham did so well."
Hahnemann admitted his chances of facing England in the USA's opening World Cup match this Saturday were slim, with Everton's Tim Howard currently first choice for Bob Bradley's side.
Joe Hart is up against Robert Green and David James to be England's No1 goalkeeper at the World Cup
"No matter what I do, I might not be able to take that Jersey away from him," he said.
But the former Reading man has no doubt which England player will be causing his side the most problems this weekend, picking out Wayne Rooney as the biggest threat in Capello's team.
"Every time I’ve played against him he’s run more than anybody.," he said. "His workrate is second to none. He’s got the strength, the power, the speed, the skill, and the finishing of the best in the world."
The Three Lions VS an Elephant on safari.....does this mean an England VS Ivory Coast World Cup Final?
Riding into the horizon: buggies containing England's World Cup hopes embark on a safari in South Africa
Picture: GEOFF PUGH
Picture of tranquility: no snarling or swearing from Wayne Rooney after his well-documented problems in England's friendly against Platinum Stars
And just look at that: Jermaine Defoe (left), armed with binoculars, tries to steal a look ahead of Ashley Cole (right)
The A-Team: a buggy containing a very baffled-looking Michael Carrick drives through the South African plain
Cool customers: both David Beckham and Frank Lampard opt for the sunglasses on safari
Picture: GEOFF PUGH
I want to get off: assistant Stuart Pearce looks like he isn't enjoying his trip as much as Fabio Capello had hoped
Scouse safari: the new England captain thinks it still isn't as good as Knowlsey Safari Park
Keeping warm: several members of the England squad attempt to blend into surroundings with leopard-skin blankets
dailymail.co.uk
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