England midfielder Joe Cole is confident that Chelsea's first taste of defeat in a major final will make Avram Grant's squad even stronger in the long term.

Chelsea's Carling Cup final loss at the hands of Tottenham was the first time the squad of players put together by Grant and former coach Jose Mourinho had experienced such disappointment.

But Cole, left out of the starting line-up to accommodate new £15million striker Nicolas Anelka, believes the setback can only help them become tougher.

Cole said: "We are disappointed but we have got to pick ourselves up for the next game.

"We will go away and digest this game but it is disappointing for everyone at the club to lose in the final. We've not experienced that before as a group and it can only make us stronger now.

"We will wash ourselves of this game and concentrate on the next one. Tottenham are a very good side and give them credit for winning. But we have to move on."

Meanwhile, Grant insists Anelka and Didier Drogba can become a potent partnership despite failing to shine at Wembley.

The predatory talents of Anelka were sacrificed in a wide role that left him isolated for much of the contest.

Grant left Cole on the bench but he was forced to introduce the midfielder when Chelsea found themselves chasing the game in extra-time.

Drogba had put the Blues in front with a curling free-kick in the first-half but a penalty from Dimitar Berbatov levelled the scores at full-time.

Spurs defender Jonathan Woodgate won the trophy for Spurs with an extra-time header that rebounded off his face and into the net after Chelsea keeper Petr Cech's had punched.

But Grant remains confident that Anelka and Drogba can become a lethal force.

"It was the first game they played together and I think it will be a good combination," said Grant.

"We wanted to play Anelka on the side because he's a creative player and quick. That's what we wanted from him.

"Today was not an easy game for them to do their best. It is not a casino - there is no gamble in football.

"They can play together, no question. You can't pick players like them and say it's a gamble."

Tottenham's winning goal, in the fourth minute of extra-time, saw Cech beaten by Woodgate after Jermaine Jenas's free-kick.

But Grant refused to blame Cech for failing to get the ball away from the Spurs player.

Grant said: "We win as a team and lose as a team. There are always personal mistakes in football, but we lost as a team. We will see what we can learn from this game."

Grant, whose side are still in both the Champions League and FA Cup, while not yet out of the race for the Barclays Premier League, added: "We drew at 90 minutes again today. We would like to win and we'll think about everything.

"We would like to get back to winning a few games.

"We got to the final, which was not easy. Now we have lost but we are still in all three other competitions and will do our best in them."

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