Ashley Cole on Cesena adventure: ‘I jumped two-footed into the puddle’

Ashley Cole has opened up on his debut managerial experience at Cesena, revealing the challenges of adapting to Italian football’s culture while expressing his desire to continue the project into next season.

The former Arsenal, Chelsea and England left-back was appointed by the Serie B club in March, inheriting a side that had gone seven games without a win and were eighth in the table.

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Despite improving several key metrics, a final day defeat to Padova saw Cesena finish 11th and miss out on the promotion play-offs by three points.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 20: Ashley Cole, First Team Coach of Everton gestures during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Leicester City at Goodison Park on April 20, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Ashley Cole targets second season at Cesena after improving club’s playing style and statistics

Speaking to The Athletic, Ashley Cole was candid about the challenges he encountered, but equally clear about his desire to continue.

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“The club put a lot of trust in me in terms of changing the philosophy, the way the team played, the mindset of players,” he said. “The league is very much based on teams playing with five at the back, counter-attack and predominantly longer balls. I wanted a more entertaining style of football, having the ball more and a team playing on the front foot.”

Cole, who played for Roma between 2014 and 2016 and whose wife is Italian, said the language barrier was manageable but still presented difficulties.

“Some players and staff do not speak English,” he admitted. “The Primavera coach was my link. I probably missed a trick in terms of being nailed-on with the language.”

Despite the disappointing finish, Cole insisted the stats told a more positive story. “We created the most chances in the league, the most dangerous attacks and the biggest chances created,” he said. “I don’t just look at the results. I look at what we did in the eight games and I improved almost every metric.”

His contract included an option to extend, and Cole confirmed talks with the club are ongoing. “Hopefully we can come together again and the project can continue,” he said.

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