Thursday, August 26, 2010

Joe Cole Looking To Make Up For Penalty Miss In Europa League Return Leg Against Trabzonspor

Joe Cole is looking to make amends for his missed penalty when Liverpool travel to take on Trabzonspor in their Europa League second leg on Thursday.

The England international will make his return for the Reds as he is in the midst of a three-match suspension for the red card he received in his Premier League debut for Liverpool against Arsenal.

Cole is hoping to make up for the penalty he missed in the first leg against the Turkish club, a miss that means that Liverpool will go into the return fixture with just a 1-0 lead.

The former Chelsea star admitted fault for his missed spot-kick, but Cole intends to own up to his mistake and help the Reds advance on Thursday.

“I’m not a penalty-taker,” Cole told the Daily Star.

“I haven’t taken a penalty for about 15 years and I might wait another 15 years before I take another.

“I hold my hands up and admit that it wasn’t good enough. I set my standards high and I want to do better.

“I feel there is a lot more to come from this team, too. I am anxious that we get the job done so it won’t matter.”

The midfielder is disappointed that the Reds were not able to build a more comfortable lead for the tough return leg, but Cole insists that Liverpool have to get the job done.

“It would have been nice to take a two-goal lead there, but we have got a job to do and we have got to make sure we do it. We’ve got to be ready to fight.

“They were two weeks away from winning the league last year and we probably got the toughest draw possible out of the pot we were in.

“They are a good side and it is always difficult playing in hostile atmospheres, but we have got to have confidence we can see it through.

“European games are notoriously tough, but we got the job done in the end at Anfield. Hopefully we can do the same here.”

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