Following Saturdays 2-2 draw with Swansea at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho slammed his medical staff, calling them “impulsive and naive”.
After Chelsea had been reduced to 10 men, following referee Michael Oliver’s decision to send goalkeeper Courtois off for denying Gomis a clear goalscoring opportunity, Chelsea were left with just 9 men for a time, as Eden Hazard was forced off the field for medical treatment during the second half.
In his post-match press conference, Jose Mourinho was highly critical of his medical staff and targeted club doctor, Eva Carneiro in particular. Mourinho blasted Carneiro for being unnecessarily “impulsive and naive” as she ran onto the pitch to treat Hazard for an injury that did not appear at all serious. With the winger off the pitch receiving treatment, Chelsea was left to battle against Swansea with just 9 men for a couple of minutes, leaving Jose Mourinho fuming.
Being a fan favourite around Stamford Bridge, many were quick to jump to the defence of Carneiro, with a former physio, Brian Morris, speaking out in her favour. Morris, who had a 35-year career in the Premier League, working with both Arsenal and QPR, has offered his support by weighing in on the debate.
Quoted in the Mirror, Morris states that injuries are always more important than the game, and voices his concern over Mourinho’s comments. “You would be a bit unhappy if the manager had ago at his own medical staff” he told the Mirror, before describing how difficult the job being a physio is, suggesting they are often “piggy in the middle” between players and the manager.
Mourinho of course, is not a stranger to criticism from both inside and out of the game, and many of his comments are often met with just that. This time perhaps, that criticism may be warranted. “Sometimes if you didn’t go on to the field you would end up getting a rollicking from the manager” Morris explains, before stating “injuries are more important than the game. They should take precedent”.
A manager of Mourinho’s nature would obviously be disappointed that the match against Swansea did not go his team’s way, and emotions were evidently still running high after the final whistle. However, if necessary, a private word with his physio team to vent his frustration would have been a better way to handle the events, and ensure that the same mistakes would not be repeated again. But by publicly blasting his staff, many believe Mourinho handled the situation poorly, and criticism of the manager, in this instance, is certainly just.
In the aftermath, Carneiro has taken to social media to thank fans for all their support, posting the following message on Facebook: “I would like to thank the general public for their overwhelming support. Really very much appreciated”. It’s likely that the whole affair will be forgotten within weeks, and the fact that Eden Hazard was not seriously injured, from a purely football perspective, remains the most important thing.
