fanatix editor – Robert Summerscales – @robsummerscales
Jose Mourinho is an overemotional pillock.
Yes, the Chelsea boss is an excellent tactician and a clever manipulator of the media, but he is also a total tit at times.
His arrogance is dangerous and his handling of club doctor Eva Carneiro in the last few days has been absolutely appalling.
Carneiro will apparently no longer be permitted to enter the team hotel or attend first-team games and training sessions, following Saturday’s flashpoint during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Swansea.
SEE MORE: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho BANS Eva Carneiro from bench after on-field MELTDOWN
Carneiro is one of Chelsea’s most valuable staff members. Her role in keeping the team fit and healthy was vital last season as Mourinho’s very small squad won the Premier League at a canter.
Had it not have been for Carneiro’s fine work, there is no way captain John Terry would have been able to be an ever-present, while top-scorer Diego Costa would have spent much longer on the sidelines.
Mourinho’s failure to take responsibility for his own mistakes and shortcomings is the biggest chink in his managerial armoury.
Chelsea were outfought in their 1-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal at the start of the month, then Mourinho was outthought by Swansea boss Garry Monk in Saturday’s entertaining draw.
Instead of quietly learning lessons and taking the disappointing results with good grace and class, Mourinho decided to moan and search for a scapegoat.
Complaints about the Wembley pitch and a backhanded compliment praising Arsenal’s ultra-defensive tactics followed the Community Shield, before Mourinho scapegoated Carneiro for his team’s failure to beat the Swans.
What was Carneiro’s crime? Entering the field of play to offer treatment to a player – Eden Hazard – who was rolling around on the floor in apparent pain.
Mourinho’s argument – which he shamefully shared with the media in his post-match interview, after furiously shouting at the club doctor on the touchline – was that Carneiro should have ‘understood the game’ better.
Mourinho claims that Hazard was not injured, just tired, and that, by opting to treat the Belgian, Carneiro could have cost Chelsea the match because his brief absence from the field momentarily left the Blues with just nine men – after Thibaut Courtois had been sent off earlier in the game.
Well, if Mourinho told his players not to feign injury, Carneiro would not have to consult her ‘understanding of football’ before deciding whether to do her job or not.
Carneiro is a highly educated professional. She is a Master of Science. Mourinho should improve his understanding of medicine and the human body before he opts to make decisions and give opinions outside of his immediate remit.
But the stroppy 52-year-old won’t change. His arrogance – he may argue – is part of what makes him so bloody ‘special’.
He loves to blame others. Sometimes it seems like he knows he’s wrong, but by complaining he is able to create some sort of powerful siege mentality to galvanise and motivate his team.
For example, Mourinho must have known that appealing Courtois’ red card against Swansea would fail, but he did it anyway.
SEE MORE: Thibaut Courtois red card upheld: Chelsea goalkeeper BANNED for crucial clash with title favourites
Mourinho could well be a genius, but he is far from flawless.
His reckless criticism of Carneiro has the potential to cost him and Chelsea dearly.
Carneiro took to Facebook on Sunday to thank fans for their messages of support. Her post looked very much like it had been written by a disgruntled employee who was on the verge of quitting.
Carneiro owes Chelsea nothing. She has served the club excellently since 2009 and, were she to decide to leave over her bust-up with Mourinho, few would blame her.
Just like many of their star players, Carneiro is a member of Chelsea staff who many rival clubs admire.
Chelsea cannot afford for her to leave.
What if she gets picked up by Arsenal? Imagine that… Carneiro moves across London, solves Arsenal’s injury conundrum and helps the Gunners topple Chelsea as the capital’s dominant club.
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