Cole went on to enjoy immense success at Chelsea, winning the Premier League, four FA Cups, the Champions League and Europa League during an eight-year spell in which he made 337 appearances. He became widely regarded as one of the greatest left-backs of his generation and a cornerstone of Chelsea’s European triumphs. His trophy haul at Stamford Bridge eclipsed his achievements at Arsenal, despite having been part of the legendary Invincibles side.
On the international stage, however, Cole admitted that England’s so-called “golden generation” never found the right balance. He described the difficulties of fitting elite talents into one system, saying players were not always willing to sacrifice their preferred roles for the team. Cole highlighted the challenges of combining the traits of Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and others, arguing their strengths did not naturally complement one another.
He reflected on how the team lacked cohesion despite the presence of world-class individuals, ultimately limiting their success at major tournaments. He said: "Reflecting now and where I am now, you know working with the England seniors now and seeing what they have compared to what we had, you think now that our team just didn't work.
"To get all of those players on the pitch - the three midfielders for example - and all the top players on the pitch together, I don't think it works and we can't all be what we are for our clubs.
"So Paul Scholes cannot be Paul Scholes with Steven Gerrard in the team, because Stevie G cannot be Stevie G with Paul Scholes, Lampard can't be the Frank Lampard for Chelsea with those two in the team.
"So were the players open enough to sacrifice themselves? People need to be more selfless and I don't think we were. Scholes wanted to hit his Man United diagonals, so did (David) Becks, Stevie G wanted to drive and push us up the pitch. Us defenders wanted to get forward."