In speaking with The Athletic and Canal+ this week, former Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole discussed his spell with Lille during the 2011/12 season, saying that he learned more from then Lille coach Rudi Garcia than with Champions League winners José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti:
“I was 29 when I arrived, I’d worked with coaches like José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, but I learned more, tactically, from Rudi Garcia than with my previous coaches… We were trying to play like Barcelona, thanks to the coach. In goal, we had Mickaël Landreau, the first goalkeeper I’ve seen that was so comfortable with the ball. I played with Pepe Reina, but Roy Hodgson and Rafa Benítez never used his passing game. We played for possession. That’s what Rudi taught us every day: keep the ball. I loved it.”
“I learned a lot about how to set up a team offensively rather than defensively… I was blown away by how good the league is… The overall quality wasn’t as good as in the Premier League, but technically and tactically it was top-notch, and it still is. For me, the French league is the second-best in Europe at the moment.”