ASHLEY COLE Life as a coach in Italy challenging, interesting
It has been a long journey for Ashley Cole, but also for his wife, Sharon Canu. It took seven years for Cole to get his first job as a head
It has been a long journey for Ashley Cole, but also for his wife, Sharon Canu. It took seven years for Cole to get his first job as a head coach, with Cesena in Italy, having retired from playing. During that time, Sharon had to endure many dinner table tactical briefings with salt and pepper shakers. The pair met a decade ago while Cole was playing for Roma – Canu is from Italy – and that period clearly left a lasting mark beyond the pitch. “I bored her a lot,” Cole says, smiling. Now that he has a dugout of his own, Sharon may finally get the seasoning back.
“It was always in our plans to live in Italy because we love the food and the calmness of the country,” Cole says. “She [Canu] told me the fans here are passionate about their team and their city. I had to embrace that, understand what makes them tick, so we can represent them properly.”
Cole's first managerial role has come at a club who sit ninth in Italy's second division and are scrapping for a playoff place. It is a long way from winning Premier League and Champions League titles with Chelsea. Yet he speaks with the quiet conviction of someone who has found exactly where he needs to be.
“I really appreciate the opportunity I've been given,” the 45-year-old says. “While it is true this is my first head coaching role, the body of work I've done over my seven years on the grass [as a coach] means there is nothing more I could do to prepare. The hours I've put in, the experiences I've had, and the managers and coaches I've worked under have guided me to a place where I feel ready and that I should be a head coach. I am definitely thankful to Cesena for the opportunity, but I have more than enough experience.”
Cesena is a working-class city of fewer than 100,000 people, tucked into Emilia-Romagna, Italy's food valley. The locals are fiercely proud of their club's rich heritage: they enjoyed a golden era in the mid-1970s, qualifying for the Uefa Cup, and have spent 13 seasons in Serie A overall. Emanuele Giaccherini, Sebastiano Rossi, Massimo Ambrosini and Vincenzo Iaquinta are just a few of the prominent names to have represented the black and white of Cavalluccio over the last three decades.
Cole lined up against Cesena for Roma during their most recent Serie A season, 2014-15. Now, he is the man tasked with reviving their fortunes, and was approached to do so by Mike Melby, one of the club's American co-owners. “They knew I was looking for a head coach role,” Cole says. “The fans weren't happy with the style of play and the owners wanted something different: an exciting, energetic team that plays on the front foot. They made the decision to sack the manager [Michele Mignani], and I came in to continue the project.”
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Results have so far been mixed. The former England left-back, who was appointed in mid-March, lost his first game in charge but then came a memorable 3-1 win against fellow playoff contenders Catanzaro that sent the home crowd into raptures. “When I arrived the team hadn't won in six or seven games. Confidence was low,” Cole says.
“If I did the same thing as the previous manager, it wouldn't work. I want this team to reflect the fans. They are humble, hard-working people who work every day to afford a ticket. We need to give them everything on the pitch to reflect that work ethic.” Asked about his football philosophy while sitting in the stands of Cesena's Stadio Dino Manuzzi, Cole looks up, seemingly searching for a profound answer. Eventually he replies: “To win games. To do that, we're implementing a tactical shift. Possession-based, but attacking. Playing between the lines, playing fast. I want intensity without the ball, staying in the opposition's half, sustaining attacks. I don't want wingers defending; that's not their job. I want them on the ball in front of the goal.”
In the dressing room and on the training pitch, Cole operates with a mix of English and Italian. “Sto migliorando il mio Italiano [I'm improving my Italian],” he offers, before adding: “Sono timido [I'm shy].”
“There are moments where I address the team in Italian and moments where I vent frustration in English. It's a mix,” Cole says. “Some players actually ask me to speak English because they want to learn it. I had the same issue at Roma; I'd try to speak Italian and they'd say: 'No, speak English.'
“Football is an easy language because you can show things with passion. We also have a staff member, Nicola Capellini, who came from the Primavera [youth team]. He's an ex-player who knows the club's ethos and knows the players in and out. He is the bridge between English and Italian, going between the two languages to keep the message clear.”
