Ashley Cole has admitted to experiencing imposter syndrome when coaching top England players like Harry Kane and Cole Palmer. The former Chelsea and Arsenal left-back, now a full-time coach for the Three Lions, said he questioned his worthiness to instruct players who are coached by world-renowned managers at their clubs.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Cole said: “Even when you are talking to Under-21s you are still talking to players who are coached by Pep Guardiola, and all these top managers, so you do have to find some confidence and authenticity. You can shrink.” He added that he found it challenging to tell Cole Palmer that something was not good enough when Pep Guardiola allows him to do it.
Cole, who also served as assistant coach under interim manager Lee Carsley, said his greatest thrill was seeing players execute his instructions on the pitch. “Everything I spoke to them about in the team meetings I saw on the pitch. I’m telling Harry Maguire to do this and I’m telling Harry Kane to do that. To see it was amazing for my confidence,” he said.
Reflecting on his past off-pitch antics, Cole said he has matured and wants to be known as a coach rather than a former player. “I want people now to say, ‘Ashley Cole, the coach’. Not, ‘Ashley Cole, the footballer’,” he said. “Ashley Cole the player is done. But Ashley Cole the coach, he is doing alright.”
