On Joe Cole: What his move to Liverpool means for the Reds, for himself, and for English football

Before I start breaking down what I think of Joe Cole's move from Chelsea to Liverpool, I think it will help if I give a bit of a background on Cole.

Joe Cole is now 28 years old. He has spent his career in the English Premier League playing mainly for Chelsea, unfortunately, that career was rife with injuries. Cole came into the EPL as one of the most hyped players since Lampard. And by all accounts, he is capable of delivering. Cole's potential is pretty massive, he's got all kinds of skill and the pace to go with it, along with a traditional fighting spirit you would expect of an English national.

At the World Cup, Cole seemed to be one of the brighter points of a dismal English side when he got his chance to play. The problem for Cole has always been staying fit, a scourge of many other potential greats, most recently Fernando Torres.

Now, I'm going to break down what I think of this move.

I have no idea why Liverpool did this. They just spent so many resources keeping attacking midfielder Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and acquiring natural wide midfielder Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid. And they've still got Dirk Kuyt in the starting line-up. Really the only reason I can think of that they would do this is to replace Yossi Benayoun, whom is on is way to Chelsea, so I guess it was what we in America would refer to as a "trade."

But there are other reasons why I don't like this for the Reds. Chief among these reasons is the fact that they've added a player who is infamous for being injury prone to a club side already absolutely devastated by injuries with Torres' fitness again in question after he hurt himself again in the World Cup Final.

It is being said that Joe Cole made this transition because he was promised playing time by new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. But with the condition that Liverpool is in right now, who's to say how long Hodgson may last as the manager? And even if he was, would you have any difficulty working him in with new signing Rodriguez in the mix? Or even Liverpool stalwart Lucas in the middle? I think not.

This is a major major gamble for me from manager Hodgson, but I do like it for one big reason: Cole is English. Liverpool for me was a club in the EPL that you could particularly pick on for not fielding English national players, so for that, I think this is a good move.

I wish Cole the best of luck, because he without doubt deserves it, but I don't have the highest hopes for this one.

On Holland v. Denmark: Three things to watch for tomorrow from one of the favorites to win the World Cup

Holland (AKA Netherlands) is going to win this game. It's just a question of by how much. I think it'll be 3-1 personally. Holland's got some problems in defense (possibly their only weakness), and may even concede an early goal. But the Oranje this year have fielded one of (if not the best) team they have ever had. So, going in to tomorrow, I want to give my three keys to watch for tomorrow from this extremely talented country.

1. Total football. This is a system invented by Dutch club Ajax in the early 70s and was famously implemented by Holland in the 1974 World Cup, where most of the players were actually from Ajax. In this system, any player that moves out of his position is quickly replaced by another. It's much more complicated than that, but that's the basic system. As a result, any player on the field can become a defender, midfielder, or attacker. The Oranje have made this system famous, and while it's implementation is not as "total" as the '74 side, it is still the hallmark of Holland football and will be on display in the opening game. It's success is based on the adaptability of the players on the pitch, and this Dutch side is not short on talent at all. Their starting line-up consists of Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Rafael Van Der Vaart (Real Madrid), Wesley Sneijder (Champions League winning Italian side Inter Milan), Robin Van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich, injured, unfortunately), Nigel De Jong (Manchester City), and Mark Van Bommel (Bayern Munich). All of these guys play in the top clubs at the top level of club play in Europe and some are considered the best in the world at their positions. These guys make total football look easy, and could be the most adaptable side in the Oranje's history.

2. Scoring chances. Lots and lots of scoring chances. The Netherlands pass a lot. They also shoot a lot. They have probably five guys that can hit the target from any angle on the pitch from 25 yards out or farther. This is a team that can score, and they can score a lot. They made a business out of it, having an undefeated qualifying run for the World Cup and an undefeated record in friendly matches. Particularly, watch for Robin Van Persie to take a shot that you'll never expect and upper 90 it off the cross-bar. Sneijder can also slot them in like it's his job.

3. Wesley Sneijder free kicks. You've probably heard of Ronaldo's famous free kicks, but a rising star from set pieces is Wesley Sneijder. He's basically automatic, has a great curve on the shot, and can hit them from pretty much any angle. Make sure to pay attention when he gets behind the ball. Did you watch any of those videos? They're pretty cool. Just saying.

These are my three key things to watch for tomorrow morning at 7 AM (that's right, fire up those DVRs or set an alarm! You won't want to miss this). Do you have other keys or think Denmark has a chance in hell? Comment!