"Our form was indifferent leading up to the Carling Cup final and it culminated in that match where we didn't play anywhere near as well as we would have liked," Cole said.
"But who knows? Perhaps losing the Carling Cup final and the FA Cup game at Barnsley might turn out to be a bit of a blessing if it helps us address where we were going wrong in the weeks leading up to those games - and make us wonder if we'd taken our eye off the prize a little bit.
"Maybe now we've seen the other end of the scale. The Chelsea everyone saw lose to Spurs was low on confidence and didn't play with anywhere near enough intensity and confidence.
"We've come back well but we know there are still improvements to be made."
