Joe Cole: Chelsea will qualify for the Champions League; Esteban can replicate Hazard’s achievements

A few days ago, Joe Cole said in an interview with TNT Sports that he believes Chelsea's core goal this season should be to ensure that they can qualify for the Champions League.

When asked to evaluate Chelsea's performance this season, Joe Cole said: "It's interesting. The Blues are currently ranked in line with my expectations and are competing to qualify for the Champions League. I hope they can qualify for the Champions League more easily than last season, when they just barely qualified. Although Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, for a club of this size, participating in the UEFA Champions League is somewhat 'abnormal'."

1} "Winning the UEFA Champions League is of great significance to Chelsea's young players, and we also hope that it can help them further grow; in addition, winning the Club World Cup is also an 'unexpected surprise'. Obviously, it is great to win this event, but we are still not sure what direction this trophy can point to for the team's future development."

"Chelsea's core goal this season must be to qualify for the Champions League again, and to open a clearer gap with the teams behind them competing for Champions League qualification. In theory, they It is possible to win the Premier League title, but if they cannot win games like the home game against Sunderland, the title race will be basically hopeless. "

"Judging from the paper lineup, Chelsea is very young, which seems to be an advantage - after all, 23- and 24-year-old players are usually more mature than 20-year-old players. But the problem is that young players need the help and guidance of senior players to grow faster, and Chelsea lacks such experienced players. In fact, Chelsea is engaged in a ‘ Youth Experiment’ - vigorously introduce young players and give them opportunities. We will only see the results of this experiment in the next two years. "

"Considering that the Blues have invested huge amounts of money and this is a five-year long-term plan, Chelsea should be able to compete for the championship next year, and they need to win the championship trophy the year after. I think this expectation is reasonable and does not put unnecessary pressure on them. "

In addition, Joe Cole also talked about Chelsea player Esteban. He said: "Esteban is a talented kid, and the club's comments about him are all positive. He seems to have a good character and is very popular in the dressing room."

"Chelsea is very lucky to sign Esteban - the club spent money, and he has proved his worth with his performance. Chelsea fans can't wait to see Esteban compete with Palmer, he will definitely be very good in the future. "

"I have said before that Esteban feels like Neymar. If he were not in the same era as Messi and Ronaldo, Neymar would have a chance to win the Ballon d'Or. Esteban gives me the feeling that he has the potential to reach the top level in football. But I think Maresca is the best coach for him."

" It doesn't matter how much he is worth, after all, he has signed a long-term contract with Chelsea. But if Esteban can continue to produce outstanding statistics like Palmer, then giants such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich will definitely have a strong interest in him just like Palmer who is concerned about his health. It's great for Chelsea to have such a future star. "

When asked whether Esteban could replicate Hazard's success at Stamford Bridge, Joe Cole said: "I think he has the ability to reach that level. He was younger than Hazard when he joined Chelsea, so he may not hit his peak this year or next year, but in the next three, four, five years, I expect him to develop into one of the best players in the world. Developing Esteban requires a process, and both the club and him personally need to grow together on this journey. "