Why Liverpool must use Cole the right way... and why I don't want a winter break

By Robbie Savage

Published 22:58 22/07/10

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Joe Cole is a great signing for Liverpool but I wonder where they are going to play him.

With his great skill, balance and ability to receive the ball while facing goal, he's an ideal candidate to play in the hole - but that is where Steven Gerrard operates best. For me, like Gerrard, Joe is wasted out wide on the left.

Perhaps what Roy Hodgson has in mind is a 4-5-1 with Cole and Gerrard in the middle, Javier Mascherano in behind them and the busy Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez on the wings.

Add in Fernando Torres if Hodgson can persuade him to stay, and that would give Liverpool one of the best attacking forces in the Premier League.

I can't see how they can fail to improve on seventh last year.

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Don't agree with Sir Alex Ferguson that we must introduce a winter break.

We're all scratching around for excuses as to why England performed so badly in South Africa this summer but I honestly don't believe fatigue can be among them.

Footballers train for six hours a week and play for another three. Then we're expecting people like my brother, who travels two hours to work each days and works 45 hours a week, to feel sorry for us because we're tired.

This could be my last Christmas playing football and I'm already excited about the prospect. I love getting to the ground as a player and wondering whether the game will be on or off. As a kid, I loved getting out of the house for the big games on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

There's just something about winter games which are special. I vividly remember getting in my dad's Brown Cortina in January 1982 and heading for Nottingham to watch Wrexham play Forest in the FA Cup third round. The weather was so bad when we got to the City Ground that a policeman told us the game was off and we should turn around and go back to Wales.

When he saw me crestfallen he started laughing and told us he was just kidding - and dad and me had the last laugh as the Robins won 3-1.

**

ROBBIE'S STORY OF THE WEEK

Played in a 3-3 friendly draw at Bournemouth's Dean Court on Wednesday night. "You won't believe this," I said to our striker Kris Commons, "but I actually scored here for Crewe in 1994".

"Oh really," said Kris. "Who were you playing against?"

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