Chelsea midfielder Cole insists they can cope with the loss of star players

• More Premier League news club by club

Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien have all gone on international duty for up to five weeks and John Obi Mikel is set to join them after tomorrow's Carling Cup semi-final against Everton.

The midfielder was awaiting confirmation this afternoon from Nigeria he could delay the date he joins the squad.

Everton have already secured the agreement of the Nigerian FA for Yakubu and Joseph Yobo to delay their flight to the African Nations' Cup so that they can line up at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have also been hit hard by injuries with Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Claude Makelele out with medium or long-term problems.

A change of manager from Jose Mourinho to Avram Grant was also thrown into the mix this season and Chelsea's difficulties show little sign of abating. But Cole believes the club are better equipped to deal with it all than anyone.

He said: "We are winning games while we are in a transition. A lot of clubs go years without winning trophies but we are still in the fight for everything.

"We took 10 points out of 12 over Christmas in a difficult period with a lot of injuries. If we can keep going as we are and get Terry, Lampard and Drogba back we will really get some momentum.

"We have missed the four players down the middle of the team for large periods and if you were to take that out of some of the other sides maybe they would not have picked up as many points as we have. No one remembers who is top of the league in December or January. No one remembers third or fourth round of the cups. People remember the finals and that is what is important."

Grant still has his doubters among the fans but Cole credits the Israeli with improving the club's resilience in a difficult time. He said: "Avram has steadied the ship and we are starting to pick up the new style of play."

Chelsea secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.

However, it was a reflection of Chelsea's uninspired performance that Drogba assumed command of the captain's armband, which had been worn for the first time by Ashley Cole.

Grant's decision to strip Cole of the captaincy mid-match is said to have left the England international angry and follows on from the Chelsea manager preferring Wayne Bridge at left back for the last two Premier League matches.

If Cole wanted a message that he needed to pull his socks up, Grant provided it.

Grant said: "Didier is a leader. Many players that are leaders here did not play, so we gave it to Ashley because I think he is a good example for all the others. I like him, so he deserved to be the captain, but there are other options for leaders in the team."

Despite pulling on the captain's armband, though, Drogba has reiterated his desire to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

The former Marseille star confessed last October that he wanted to move, but insisted he still wants to win titles before ending his Chelsea adventure.

"It comes from me, I said what I am thinking, that I wanted to leave," he told Eurosport. "Mourinho's departure didn't help, to the contrary it made my desire to leave even bigger."