Cole adds polish to the Chelsea diamond

CHELSEA’S diamond, which was beginning to lose its lustre, is looking polished again this morning thanks to a sparkling performance from a player who looks certain to reinvigorate their Premier League title challenge.

Joe Cole has spent almost nine months out with a knee injury but his effervescent display during Saturday’s 5-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, playing at the tip of Carlo Ancelotti’s diamond formation, could prove to be one of the defining moments of Chelsea’s season.

It is not just that Cole provides the team with fantasy, energy and a touch of the unexpected, although those benefits were amply highlighted at Stamford Bridge. It is the fact that his return allows Chelsea’s most important player, Frank Lampard, to finally do what he does best, too.