Becks backing Cole to seize England chance

David Beckham believes Joe Cole is ready to force his way into England's World Cup plans.

Having established himself as a key player in Chelsea's treble bid, the former West Ham midfielder is now set for promotion to England's starting line-up for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland and Beckham has no doubt about his ability to make the step up.

"He brings a freshness," Beckham said of the 23-year-old.

"He is a lively player, he can use both feet. With Joey, I think what has happened is that at Chelsea he's played eight or nine games on the trot and he has got that confidence."

"And he's a player that when he has got confidence, he excels in his performances."

With Paul Scholes having departed the international scene, injuries to Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge have reduced Sven-Goran Eriksson's options in midfield, creating an opportunity for Cole to make the leap from fringe to first team player in the way that another Chelsea midfielder, Frank Lampard, did in the run up to Euro 2004.

"If you get a chance on Saturday you have got to take it. Frank Lampard came in last year and played consistently well. He's shown the way."

Eriksson has harboured reservations about Cole in the past. But the Swede has spoken warmly this week about the increased maturity of the midfielder's performances for his club, a stance that was reflected in the distribution of first team bibs for Wednesday's training session.

England's coach does have other options, notably deploying Kieron Dyer on the left of a four-man midfield in which David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are, as Cole recognised, automatic choices.

But all the signs are that the young Londoner will get the nod for the first time since England suffered a 3-2 defeat in a friendly against Denmark at Old Trafford at the end of 2003.

Eriksson has been particularly pleased to see Cole eliminate or at least reduce his tendency to over elaborate on the ball and, as a result, concede possession at crucial times.

"Joe Cole can do much more for the national team today than he did in the past because he is playing much more maturely -- which for me has always been the problem with him," Eriksson said.

"He would take big risks when he shouldn't take them but he is now playing with much more discipline and, in the games I've seen him in recently, he has been doing very well for Chelsea."

Cole does not appear to totally buy into the theory that he has been totally reborn as a player this season, but he does feel that he has taken a significant step forward under the guidance of Chelsea's manager, Jose Mourinho.

"I wouldn't say I've taken my game apart but I have analysed myself and looked at where I was going wrong," Cole said.

"The last few months, I've played most games for Chelsea and I think it is just a natural progression I'm making."

"I don't know if it is a conscious thing, I'm just trying to learn and I'm always open to new ideas. I've always worked hard but there is a lot more discipline to my game now."

After only eight months of working with Mourinho, Cole already describes him as the biggest influence on his career and when he says "I listen to him," it is easy to infer that careful attention to guidance have not always been a feature of his development.

An insight into the relationship between player and manager comes from Cole's reaction when asked to reflect on Mourinho's public criticism of him after he had scored the winning goal in a tight encounter with Liverpool earlier this season.

"I was a little bit indisciplined in the last ten minutes," Cole acknowledged. "Something like that (the criticism) can ram the nail home, so that I know what I have to do. It is always constructive criticism from Jose."

Cole's promotion to the England starting line-up was probably sealed by the central role he played in Chelsea's memorable 4-2 Champions League win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

"In the Barcelona game he was one of the best players that day," Beckham said, "and to play like that against one of the top teams in La Liga is exceptional."

Cole's ability to change matches with a special piece of skill has never been in question. But, perhaps crucially, he now feels more able to make that kind of input late in matches as fatigue increases the frequency of openings.

"A lot of it is down to fitness," he confirmed. "I'm starting to finish games as well which is of massive importance. I feel fitter and stronger, so when you get into positions that helps you to make the right decisions."