Ashley Cole says the Chelsea squad is pleased to have Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge, and that the players owe it to the manager to win more trophies this season.
Cole was speaking shortly after we arrived in Jakarta for the first time, to a press conference packed with Indonesian journalists ahead of our third and final Asia tour match against the BNI Indonesia All-Stars, a representative side of the best players the national league here has to offer.
In a wide-ranging conference, Cole discussed life with Mourinho back in charge after six years away.
'I've been lucky enough to win big trophies at Chelsea and of course I hope to win more,' said the 32-year-old. 'Hopefully having the manager back, we can do it all together, and we owe it to him as players to win the league or Champions League again.
'I've won things but from day one I started playing football I always wanted to win. That feeling has never gone away and having a manager back now from when [the club] bought me in 2006, I still feel I owe him something.
'I didn't feel I played as well as I could when he bought me, so I owe him a lot, and as a team I hope we can go on and win many trophies,' Cole continued. 'It's a big club and we need to win trophies. With the new players we're training hard and we're confident this season can be a great season for Chelsea again.
'He's always had one aim and one objective, and that's to win. It doesn't matter what you've achieved in football, you have to train well and give 100 per cent for him. That's one thing, he always gives players a chance if they are training well and playing well.
'He's a great manager and proves how good he is with the trophies he has won at different teams. He is great at motivating players and keeping you on your toes, so it's a pleasure to play under him.
'The boys are confident and happy he's come back, and in training you see a new lease of life for some players and hopefully that's only going to benefit the team and the club.'
Cole believes pre-season has progressed well so far, and is looking to continue with Thursday's match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Thursday. He explained he is not concerned about the opposition, because the focus is on Chelsea's preparations for the season ahead.
'So far we have trained hard and worked hard. We've had some new faces come into the team,' he said. 'We've been happy with the results, it's always nice to win and we'll try and get our fitness ready for the Premier League season to start.
'Wherever Chelsea goes, teams want to beat them, play well and impress. The first two games, we have had that. We've won by a few goals but the games have been tough and we're trying to benefit ourselves and work together as a team. It's more about us coming together as a group than the opponents, to be honest.'
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