Joe Cole knows a thing or two when it comes to inhibiting attackers. The former Chelsea midfielder was a genius in the hole and possessed brilliant vision and passing skills to unlock opponents.
He also speaks from the heart when analysing current matches as a pundit and has grown his standing with Blues fans after emotional verdicts on the club, their performances and staunch defending of players. As a pundit at the World Cup he also brings international expertise having donned the Three Lions shirt before as a player himself.
In Qatar he has also offered advice to Portugal, not just Gareth Southgate, and Graham Potter will be one of those interested to hear his views. Speaking before the Euro 2016 winners faced Switzerland in the last-16, Cole explained why Cristiano Ronaldo has been struggling as well as offering advice to Fernando Santos.
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"You know what, the problem for this Portuguese team is that the manager is not picking Leao," Cole explained. "Nuno Mendes offers pace and penetration but he's been injured. It's crucial to get Leao in because Ronaldo's not going to run the other way. Bernardo Silva likes to come to feet, Bruno Fernandes likes to come to feet."
Cole's words fell on deaf ears though after the former Manchester United forward was dropped as well as Leao. The 23-year-old winger is one of the most exciting in Europe after a stellar 18-months for AC Milan and has attracted the interest of Chelsea. Cole thinks he could be a game-changer for his country too.
"Although they topped their group, I think if the manager would give Leao his legs and put him in the team, he'd be explosive. Cristiano will love it! He'll have someone to take the onus off him. Someone who can run, who can dribble, get by players. I think if they start with Leao they're a real threat. If they don't, it could be a tough day for them."
Although Portugal went 2-0 up early on without either Ronaldo or Leao, his words still carry weight ahead of Chelsea's transfer activities in 2023. The Blues are keen to snap up the forward and exploit contract uncertainty on his deal in Italy. They have also been linked with a move for Ronaldo after Todd Boehly met with his agent Jorge Mendes last summer. The forward is now being linked with a staggering £173m contract offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
With the pair not linking up for Portugal as much as they'd like, Chelsea will still be monitoring Leao's progress for his country with interest.
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