The surprise omission from yesterday's team selection was club captain John Terry, who had started every single league match up to that point, anchoring the Blues to the best defensive record in the Premier League (and after Arsenal shipped five to Liverpool, it's the best record by some margin). Mourinho did hint in his press conference at a few minor knocks present in the camp, but we didn't know specifics until the lineups came out.
"It's not an injury, it's almost an injury. We had a decision to make and the player didn't play. We were aware Newcastle had bigger problems than us so we decided not to risk him and protect him."
A sensible course of action for a player who struggled through injuries and a subsequent drop in form last year. His return to form, combined with Gary Cahill's marked improvement, has been one of the most welcome developments of the season.
"Hopefully [Terry] will be ready for Tuesday."
The squad's been blessed with good health so far this season - Marco van Ginkel's knee injury the only major blight on an otherwise excellent fitness record - and it looks like Fernando Torres is quite close to playing again as well.
"We will try for Tuesday but if not it will be next Saturday."
While Samuel Eto'o has been in good form, scoring goals and linking up well with Hazard in particular, Mourinho doesn't seem to trust Demba Ba with a starting spot, so it'll be nice to have another potential winning option in the striker Russian roulette rotation.