Cole laments barren run

Chelsea star believes Blues should have already won in Europe

By Ben Collins   Last updated: 9th April 2008

Football Premier League Tottenham Chelsea Joe Cole

Cole: Starred in victory over Fenerbahce

Related links

Teams

Players

Also see

England midfielder Joe Cole believes 'dodgy goals' and 'bad decisions' have denied Chelsea Champions League glory so far.

The Blues reached the semi-finals for the fourth time in five years on Tuesday after securing a 3-2 aggregate victory against Fenerbahce, and Cole feels they should already have been crowned kings of Europe.

Chelsea were knocked out by Monaco in 2004, before twice being edged out by English rivals Liverpool, and the two sides will meet again in the last four of this year's competition.

Cole is hoping Chelsea can make it third time lucky against the Merseysiders and finally rid themselves of the 'nearly men' tag.

Nearly men

"We should have won it by now," he said. "That's what I believe.

"There's no point splitting hairs over things that have happened in the past but the semi-final against Monaco was particularly disappointing - especially the away leg.

"We got beaten by a side we should have overcome. Then you've got the Liverpool game the following season where we were let down by a dubious goal.

"But, as I said, you can't split hairs about this kind of thing. It's all in the past. I believe we've had a final place taken off us on three occasions.

"But the margins between winning and losing at this level are minimal and we really need to focus on how we perform in each game.

"The way I see it, the Champions League is a work in progress at Chelsea. We haven't won it but our record over the last four years stands up against that of any club in Europe in terms of consistency and getting within spitting distance of the final.

"But no-one remembers semi-finalists or losing finalists. They won't remember dodgy goals at Anfield or bad decisions in Monaco."

Torment

Cole admits semi-final defeats have been tough on Chelsea, and he is determined to avoid suffering similar torment this season.

"Losing a semi is much worse than losing a final," he said. "After the final, it is over. Lose a semi and you have to watch the other two teams in the final.

"It is heartbreaking, but that thought also drives us on to get there."

Unlike the two previous semi-final ties against Liverpool, Chelsea have home advantage in the return leg.

Cole also believes that having star players John Terry, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba all relatively fresh could be a telling factor.

"We've had a lot of injuries this year so to be in the position we're in, to have this kind of run-in, is a remarkable achievement in itself," he added.

"The players who have missed games are still fresh - you've got Michael Ballack, who missed the first half of the season, Frank missed a lot of football, as has JT and Didier.

"They're big players for us and they're fresh, ready and hungry. I think that will give us an edge."