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Former England playmaker Joe Cole believes that a combination of luck and destiny will be essential if the Three Lions are to finally put an end to their 60-year wait for World Cup glory.

England’s exit from the 2010 World Cup at the last-16 stage, following a 4-1 defeat to Germany, remains one of the national team’s most painful memories in recent history.

While the post-match analysis of that heavy loss suggested that a lack of harmony within the squad was to blame, Cole feels that this explanation oversimplifies what truly went wrong for the team in Bloemfontein.

Instead, the former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder attributes England’s downfall to a series of unfortunate events – injuries, misfortune, and poor refereeing decisions – that collectively derailed Fabio Capello’s campaign in South Africa.

When asked whether team morale had contributed to the defeat, Cole was quick to dismiss the idea, arguing that footballing circumstances played a much greater role than dressing-room issues.

“No,” he told FourFourTwo. “That Germany match turned out the way it did because they were a great side, and we had a few players who weren’t fully fit.”

The build-up to the 2010 tournament had indeed been dominated by injury worries surrounding key figures, forcing Capello to make significant adjustments to his starting lineup once the competition began.

“Becks was injured, Rio was injured – you had Matty Upson and JT [John Terry] in defence, but JT was playing on the right, so there were a lot of things,” Cole explained, before turning to one of the game’s most controversial moments.

In that round-of-16 clash, Germany took control early on, with Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski scoring in the 20th and 32nd minutes respectively. England clawed one back through Matthew Upson seven minutes before half-time, and then Frank Lampard unleashed a long-range shot that struck the crossbar, bounced over the line, and spun back into play – but the referee failed to award the goal.

“Then came a bad decision by the officials, because Frank Lampard scored and it should have been 2-2,” Cole recalled ruefully.

As England prepare to chase redemption at this summer’s tournament in North America, Cole stressed that success will once again depend on more than just talent and preparation.

“It’s never just one thing,” he continued. “That’s why in this World Cup, everything has to click. If the big man upstairs decides it’s England’s time, then it’s England’s time.”

That sentiment is echoed by his former England and Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole, who similarly believes that fortune will play a crucial role in determining whether Gareth Southgate’s men can finally lift the trophy.

“I think England can win it,” said the former left-back. “We’ve shown what we’re capable of by reaching finals and semi-finals. The next step comes down to luck, the weather, players staying fit – the things you can’t control. We’ve got the quality; it’s just about having the belief.”

‘Could It Be Coming Home? with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole’ is presented by Carling, the official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup. The show is available to watch on YouTube and Spotify, or to listen to wherever you get your podcasts.

— Chris Flanagan, Senior Staff Writer