After an unhappy and unsuccessful spell at Liverpool, Joe Cole is rejuvenating his career at Lille and forming a formidable attacking partnership with Eden Hazard, writes ITV.com's James Appell in Moscow
The crowd of two dozen or so hardy fans who stayed behind in the freezing Moscow night only had one name on their lips.
"Joe Cole, Joe Cole," they chanted in unison, whenever the exit door from the Luzhniki Stadium - where CSKA Moscow had hosted Cole's Lille side in the Champions League on Tuesday night - opened just an inch or two. Not even Cole's illustrious colleague Eden Hazard, tipped by so many for stardom, received that kind of attention.
It is illustrative of how highly regarded the former West Ham and Chelsea midfielder remains across Europe that he still enjoys top billing among fans across the Continent. That, despite many English fans labelling him a spent force after he joined Lille on loan on summer deadline day.
That now looks like a hasty judgement. Three goals in 16 games since his move to France barely tells the tale, for Cole is rejuvenated and playing some of the best football of his career.
The latest evidence came on the plastic turf of Moscow's Luzhniki on Tuesday. In defiance of the freezing temperatures, with thermometers reading -6C by kick-off time, the Londoner was the only player who took to the field wearing short sleeves - who knows, perhaps a conscious decision to demonstrate that his inner fire has been rekindled.
For the next 90 minutes, in partnership with Hazard, Cole tore CSKA Moscow's defence to ribbons, as the French champions convincingly defeated the home side 2-0.
Lille's second, game-winning goal was the highlight. Hazard drifted in from the left and chipped a brilliant pass into the area for Cole - this time occupying a central position - who beat the offside trap and onrushing goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov, only to see his shot rebound off the post. Moussa Sow put the ball into the unguarded net, but credit for the goal falls entirely to the Cole-Hazard tandem.
After barely three months playing together the pair have built a hugely destructive partnership, based on mutual understanding and faith in one another's ability.
Cole began the game on the right of an attacking three, with Hazard to the left and Senegal international Sow through the centre. But as the game wore on, Cole and Hazard increasingly began drifting inside, overlapping and often swapping flanks altogether.
It was exactly this kind of free role which Cole was denied throughout his time playing in England. Equally, never while playing at Chelsea or Liverpool has Cole found such a kindred spirit as Hazard. This combination of positional flexibility and having a partner who understands him has clearly brought the best out of him in France.
After the game Cole's name was top of the list for the press corps. "How did you rate Joe Cole's performance?" a journalist asked the defeated CSKA Moscow coach Leonid Slutsky.
"That's probably a question for the Lille coach," Slutsky replied grumpily.
The same journalist then did so, repeating his question to Lille coach Rudi Garcia.
"Joe told me about the previous times he was in Moscow playing football," Garcia said. "The last time was in the final of the Champions League [in 2009 with Chelsea]. He told me he wanted to make up for that and score. Well, he didn't score, but he played well."
Cole may still have a few ghosts to exorcise, and not just at Luzhniki, where he also suffered defeat playing for England against Russia in 2007. But after a spell at Liverpool in which he seemed to have totally lost his way, he is once again justifying his reputation as a superstar, not just to those who came to see him in Moscow, but to those people - fans, fellow professionals, and, one hopes, national team manager Fabio Capello - who are watching back home in England too.
