What Ashley Cole did before games in order to have ‘Cristiano Ronaldo on toast every time’ | OneFootball

Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell has given an insight into preparation Ashley Cole would do before facing Cristiano Ronaldo.

The comment was made on 'That Peter Crouch Podcast' in an episode featuring another ex-Chelsea player, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The modern game is seen as a tactical battle more than a physical and technical sport.

Managers and players from previous eras tend to not be looked upon as 'tactically-smart' at times which is a harsh assessment.

Some of the battles between Chelsea and Manchester United during the 2000s prove there was a lot of work put in.

Having managers like Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho to learn from at a younger age, it is no surprise that Cole would be well-prepared.

How did Ashley Cole shut down Cristiano Ronaldo?

Sidwell explained to the hosts of the podcast that his former teammate was ahead of the game in his pre-match work ahead of facing the Portuguese winger.

He said: "It's pretty standard now, but he would get the iPad and the analysis [team] would clip all of Ronaldo's bits, and he would just know his movements and where he would go."

The former Aston Villa and Fulham midfielder then made a huge claim that: "He had him on toast every time."

There aren't many defenders in world football that could be described as getting the better of Ronaldo on most occasions and that is a testament to Cole's ability.

Host of the show, Chris Stark, then quizzed further as an outsider looking in: "So, Ashley Cole would do a lot of research? I've never heard this about his game."

Sidwell then went into further detail as he added the clips were: "Purely on Ronaldo. Whether it's on the right-hand side or the left-hand side, when he comes in, when he shifts out."

He even claims the clips being looked at were as specific as: "When he fakes to shoot, when he does a step-over. So he would know his little giveaways were before he'd do it."

Has this helped Ashley Cole's coaching career?

Having the natural urge to study something so closely gives the impression that Cole would work in similar fashion as a coach.

Helping defenders identify weaknesses in the opposing winger's game and when to perfectly time a forward run.

He has been working closely with Frank Lampard in recent years at both Chelsea and Everton, and according to Crouch, he is very focused on his new role in the game.

"It's all he wants to talk about now is sessions, session planning," the former England international said. "If you go out for a beer with him, and it's like 'what do you think of my session for tomorrow'."

A funny way to round off an interesting discussion on perhaps the greatest left-back the Premier League has seen.