England fullback Ashley Cole put his personal problems aside on Tuesday to insist his Arsenal side can win Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United despite the absence of star striker Thierry Henry.
The France international was ruled out on Monday after he suffered a recurrence of an old groin injury during the 7-0 thrashing of Everton, where he’d only just returned from a thigh injury.
And with fellow striker Jose Antonio Reyes still uncertain as he recovers from the thigh injury that kept him out of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat away to Birmingham, the Gunners are becoming increasingly short of forward options in the run-up to the Millennium Stadium showpiece.
”Both teams are going to want to win something and not go empty-handed over the whole season, but I think we have got the upper hand with the way that we are playing,” said Cole. ”We are playing really well and the lads are confident.”
”They have beaten us three times [this season], but hopefully we can use that against them and beat them in the important one, and pick up that trophy, because it is important to us as a club to win something.
”If you ask any of the players, they all want to win it. It is a great cup to be in and we have always had a full squad nearly in every game because the manager wants to win it.
”The bigger the pitch, the more we can play, pass and move, so we are looking forward to it and it will be a great day.”
Cole’s comments were published on the same day that a two-day hearing into allegations the 24-year-old left-back was ”tapped up” by Premiership champions Chelsea began.
Under Premier League rules, it is forbidden for one club to make an approach to a player who is under contract at a rival team.
Back in January at a London hotel, there was an alleged meeting involving Cole, his agent Jonathan Barnett, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and ”super agent” Pini Zahavi.
After the story broke in the British press, Cole was eventually charged in March under Rule K5, governing approaches from players to clubs.
Chelsea were charged under Rule K3, which governs approaches from clubs to players, while their manager, Jose Mourinho, was charged under Rule Q, which governs managers’ conduct.
The hearing is being chaired by retired High Court judge Sir Philip Otton. — Sapa-AFP