Zouma, Drogba injuries not serious

The two sour notes from Tuesday's 3-1 League Cup win over Derby County were the injuries picked up by Kurt Zouma and Didier Drogba.  Zouma had to be stretchered off after a collision with Petr Cech in the first half, while Drogba limped off about halfway through the second half after appearing to twist his ankle when he slipped on the wet turf.

There were already indications during the game that Zouma's injury looked far more serious than it turned out to be; here's Jose Mourinho post-match to confirm the good news.

"He is fine. We don't think he needs hospital treatment. He was a bit dizzy and he had some blood in his mouth because of a cut. He has gone for some exams with the docs. He'll be available for Monday."

"I thought the collision was a punch, but it was with Petr's head - his helmet! The players were with the body language that there was some trouble but I had no idea what the trouble was because of the distance. I had some information the people with the stretchers are not allowed to run and I trust that."

-Jose Mourinho; source: Chelsea FC

Some reports claim that Zouma lost a tooth in the collision, which is fairly hardcore.  It looked scary either way, but hopefully it really is nothing more than just a cut and maybe, at worst, some oral surgery.  As far as the stretcher incident goes, I suppose it makes sense to not have them run with it on the already slippery pitch (and putting them in studded boots would be quite silly and dangerous off the pitch), but it does not make that scene any less surreal.  Maybe a fast walk next time?

The initial diagnosis for Drogba's ankle sounds less positive, but perhaps when the swelling goes down, that'll change for the better.

"His ankle is big! He is a strong guy with a strong mentality. I think he'll be okay."

-Jose Mourinho; source: Chelsea FC

Fortunately, the rest of the players, especially all the key regulars who played, managed to avoid injury altogether.