Jose Mourinho has caused quite a stir as Chelsea’a manager has revamped the role of first-team doctor Eva Carneiro following public criticism of his medical staff.
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After Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City in the season opener at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Mourinho was heavily critical of Carneiro and her colleagues and was left exasperated on the sidelines as his medical team rushed on to treat Eden Hazard in the dying stages of the game with Chelsea already down to 10-men.
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With Hazard having to go off the pitch, that left Chelsea with nine players and apparently that was too much for Mourinho to take.
Multiple reports claim that Carneiro will still remain as the first-team doctor at Chelsea, but her role will be more limited as she will no longer be able to sit on the bench on matchdays, attend training or be at the team hotel before games.
Mourinho has come under plenty of fire for this move, as many claim that Carneiro and the other trainers were just doing their job and referee Michael Oliver in fact waved them onto the pitch twice to treat Hazard.
Here is what the Portuguese coach had to say about Carneiro and the medical staff after the match. She has been involved at Chelsea since 2011 when Andre-Villas Boas appointed her to the medical staff, but doubt are now lingering whether or not she will stay on in a reduced capacity.
“I wasn’t happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game. If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem. I was sure that Eden didn’t have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired.
“My medical department left me with eight fit outfield players in a counter attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn’t have enough players left.”
What do you think, should Carneiro have her first-team duties taken away from her? Or is Mourinho lashing out unnecessarily on the back of a bad result?
For what it’s worth, Mourinho actually studied sports science at University in Lisbon, so he knows what he is going on about from a physical standpoint. Surely we won’t see the “Special One” running onto the pitch with a bucket and sponge this Sunday against Manchester City? (Watch live, 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra).
