Cole notes change of Chelsea gear

There is a new look to Chelsea FC under Avram Grant and Joe Cole believes it is a positive development for him and the rest of the team.

New outlook
It is not a case of sacrificing points for more critical acclaim because the London team are back in the winning groove fostered by previous coach José Mourinho. The 2-0 win against FC Schalke 04 was their fourth in succession and in five of the last six outings they have not conceded a goal. Yet Grant has stressed the need to apply more flair to their work and after the game Cole talked about how the players are getting to grips with the new approach.

'Definite shift'
"There's a definite shift in the style of play, especially for the forwards and attacking players like myself," said Cole who is flourishing in a right-sided role in a system that mirrors Mourinho's first Chelsea season in which two wide men flanked a lone striker. "Avram, Stevie Clarke and Henk [ten Cate] are getting us to make different movements and it is a case of adjusting. We seem to have more of the ball and I'm hoping it will be good for my game. I'm listening and learning and trying to take in everything I can. I love my football and a new style of play is a new challenge for me. It's important we carry on winning and see how far we can go."

Schalke misfortunes
The victory, secured by an early Florent Malouda goal – his first for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League – and Didier Drogba's diving header at the start of the second half, gives Chelsea a three-point lead at the half-way stage in Group B. It was a night when they made the most of Schalke's misfortunes. The German team lost star striker Kevin Kuranyi through injury before the start and then saw goalkeeper Manuel Neuer make a hash of Malouda's low drive.

'Nice and solid'
"We've put ourselves in a good position," added Cole. "There's a couple of tricky away games to come against Schalke and Rosenborg [BK] but all in all we must be happy with where we are considering our shaky start. It was a good performance by the team, nice and solid, and it was good to see Didier on the scoresheet again. He always performs so there's nothing different there. Put the ball in the box for him and he will score."

Clean sheet
Goalkeeper Petr Čech took delight in the clean sheet, only Chelsea's second in nine UEFA Champions League fixtures. It was also only the second time in that sequence that Chelsea have not had to battle back in the game after falling behind. "It's good for the defenders and the goalkeeper when you do not concede as it gives you something to build on and it means you only need one goal to win," he said. "It was nice to get back to those ways."