• Capital One Cup

Rodgers: Cole wasted his chance to impress

ESPN staff
November 1, 2012
Brendan Rodgers' team were beaten by his former employers, Swansea © Getty Images
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Joe Cole's Liverpool future was again brought into question after boss Brendan Rodgers lamented the former England international's failure to make the most of a rare starting opportunity in the Capital One Cup loss to Swansea on Wednesday.

Rodgers singled out the club's fringe players for their displays as Samed Yesil and Cole were both hauled off at half-time after poor showings.

"We've got a very small squad and a thin squad and like what I've done in the other games I've rotated players, looked at young players and fringe players and given people the opportunity to come into the Premier League team," Rodgers said.

"Joe had an opportunity. The club have invested an astronomical amount of money on a player who is talented.

"Obviously he has been back fit now for a couple of weeks and the opportunities have been limited for Joe but then you've got to seize the opportunity.

"I thought it was difficult for him just like it was for the team in the first half. We were too slow. It wasn't what I'd want and expect from a team that we're trying to set up to be dynamic so I think it was a difficult night for him.

"[We've] given players the opportunity to come in and shine and that is all you can do, it then becomes quite easy [to judge players] but the problem is that your squad is even thinner. I can't keep playing Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez is our only striker."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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