Injuries pile up for beaten Chelsea05.08.2007 20:00 SportsBy Trevor Huggins LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho faces a torrid start to the season after injury woes ruled captain John Terry and striker Didier Drogba out of Sunday's Community Shield defeat by Manchester United. Midfielder Claude Makelele and strikers Andriy Shevchenko and Salomon Kalou were also sidelined for the FA Cup holders' 3-0 defeat on penalties. There was no sight either of Dutch winger Arjen Robben or Germany captain Michael Ballack, who Spanish media reported on Saturday were the subject of a combined 42 million euro offer from Real Madrid. Mourinho refused point blank to discuss the injuries to Drogba, who scored 33 goals last season, or to Terry, who British media reported could be out for four weeks with knee ligament damage. "When you ask about John Terry, Drogba, Ballack, Kalou and Makelele and all of the boys who were not here, I don't want to go in that direction," Mourinho told a news conference. "Because I want to respect the players I have here today -- they played very very well for me." Asked it he expected any to return soon, he said: "I always expect that - and when you have so many, I hope that at least one or two can be back. "For example, today Didier was not here but I would be happy just to have Kalou (back). Continued... Source: reuters.comwww.alllee.com |
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