I can truly shine under Scolari
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JOE COLE has taken a swipe at Jose Mourinho by insisting he can finally express himself in a Chelsea shirt under Phil Scolari.
The new Blues boss started work this week and has already impressed the star-packed squad. Under his previous managers, Cole was rarely able to demonstrate the tricks and flicks that marked him out as England's most promising teenager in the 90s. But the midfielder is now ready to sparkle again under Scolari, who was renowned for his entertaining football during stints in charge of Brazil and Portugal.
Cole, who was forced to become part of rigid formations under Mourinho and later Avram Grant, said: "I'm getting a good vibe from Scolari. "It is early days but he seems very approachable and has a huge football pedigree. "I'm really excited to play for him, I'm chomping at the bit to get fit and out there.
"The way he sets his teams up, I've been waiting for it my entire career — a manager who wants to play the right way. "I'm nearly 27 now and have been waiting for someone like him to come along. "He already has the respect of the boys and has settled in nicely. I think it's going to be happy days for everyone."
Cole also revealed he has been talking to Portugal ace Paulo Ferreira, who played under Scolari at Euro 2008. He added: "From what I know about the way he set up Portugal and Brazil, and watching them play it was beautiful football, there are plenty of players who like to get the ball down, I'm so excited. "I spoke to Paulo about him and people who have played for him have a lot of respect for him and say what a good manager he is.
"That's a good sign because normally whenever you speak to people about a manager you often get mixed opinions. But everybody seems very complimentary."