Grant: We'll cope if Anelka bid fails

The manager has been preparing for the game without the striker in mind after little movement in negotiations in the four days after his club's £11million bid was turned down.

Grant wanted Anelka to sign from Bolton in time to play and Chelsea had until 5pm to register him, but after the setbacks his team have endured recently he is beginning to believe they could cope with anything.

The Israeli will send out a side against Spurs missing at least seven regular players; the captain, his deputy and the star striker among them.

Ashley Cole has revealed today that he is still suffering from the ankle problem which kept him below par last season.

Even though his willingness to play on through injury is typical of the squad, Tottenham can rarely have had better prospects of winning at Stamford Bridge in the last 18 years that they have failed to do so.

But Grant is unconcerned. He said: "We have confirmed we have made a bid for Anelka and wanted him this week but sometimes things don't go how you want them.

"If we have him for Spurs I will be happy and if not we will do the best with what we have.

"When you have a squad like ours with the commitment there is in it that is okay. People say that will come to an end one day but I hope not."

If there is one thing Grant has learned in nearly four months in charge at Chelsea, it is that things rarely run smoothly.

Injuries and absences have stretched the squad to near breaking point but somehow they have always managed to stay on track.

Even better than simply staying in a strong position to compete for four trophies this season, the manager thinks the experience has improved them too.

He said: "The players have stepped up for Chelsea every time I have asked. I have said to the players and told myself that in this situation there are two choices: you can cry about it or take it as a challenge and we have taken the last few months as a challenge.

"I think 90 per cent of those who have played for us in that time are better than they were before because they have had to ask more of themselves and I have asked more of them.

"Some have played when they have not been 100 per cent fit, when they have come back from long-term injuries or time out and that is not easy.

"That was not easy for Michael Ballack, Florent Malouda, Henrique Hilario, Alex and others.

"With Chelsea you never know what is going to happen next but the commitment of the players and staff has always been very high.

"There is a good spirit and dedication to the tactics which we have changed between games and within them because we had to. I am very pleased with them."

Few games have illustrated Grant's point better than the Carling Cup semi-final win against Everton on Tuesday.

Despite going down to 10 men early in the second half and the scores then being levelled, Chelsea will take a 2-1 lead into the second-leg thanks to a last gasp winner. Before John Obi Mikel was sent off they played some of the slickest attacking football of Grant's reign, and the squad then is little different to the one available for tomorrow.

Grant said: "When something is not easy you have to find a solution and we have tried to do that on the tactical side, the personal side, and the mental side.

"We have tried to find ways to make things better and continue winning our games and we have done that well. It doesn't mean we are not waiting for players to come back though.

"A couple of weeks ago I was waiting to have all the squad but now I would settle for 90 per cent.

"Hopefully in two weeks I won't be happy to wait for 80 per cent of the squad to be available."

Grant is likely to still be without Andriy Shevchenko and the striker's calf injury is one of the reasons the focus on Anelka this week has been intense.

With Didier Drogba on international duty, this was supposed to be the costly Ukrainian's chance to finally shine for Chelsea.

He did briefly in his last game, against Aston Villa, when he scored twice and set up a third in a performance which showed why owner Roman Abramovich tried for so long to sign him.

But his time at Chelsea appears to be cursed.

Grant said: "Shevchenko is still a long way off and that is unfortunate because he, more than others, waited for so long to perform so well and did great in his last game.

"He was like the Sheva that we needed and it is a shame he is not available. It is not good for the team or for him, because he is a good guy."