HAZARD WARNING FOR DOC
IF It’S not match officials, it’s his own staff. Jose Mourinho decided against lambasting referee Michael Oliver and his assistants on Saturday and instead took his frustration out on Chelsea’s medical team.
According to Mourinho, his staff do not understand the game. Not like him anyway.
He accused them of such after club doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn ‘unnecessarily’ treated Eden Hazard in the third minute of stoppagetime during their draw with Swansea, potentially costing Chelsea a late winner. the Barclays Premier League champions were gifted a set- piece from the foul by Ashley Williams, but Hazard had to leave the pitch because he had received treatment, meaning Chelsea were forced to launch their final attack without the forward who made a clean sweep of the Player of the Year awards last season.
the decision to treat Hazard also left Chelsea vulnerable to defeat as they were temporarily reduced to nine men. Goalkeeper thibaut Courtois had earlier been sent off for fouling Bafetimbi Gomis when the Swansea striker was through on goal in the 52nd minute. Swansea were a counter-attack away from becoming the first team in Premier League history to beat the previous season’s champions on the opening day of the following campaign.
that annoyed Mourinho, who rarely refrains from speaking his mind. ‘It was the physio and the doctor,’ he said. ‘ the problem was that I had 10 men and the moment the medical department puts a foot on the pitch then I have nine men.
‘So for them to do that they must be sure the player has a real problem and not a little knock and with my experience and the way I read the game I could clearly see it was not a problem. But without any doubt they went to the pitch and left the team with nine men. If you are involved in the game then you have to understand the game. Even if you are a kit-man, doctor or secretary on the bench you have to understand the game. (Hazard) had a knock, he was very tired. But my medical department was naive.’
In January, the manager gave Carneiro an earful after he felt she was not quick enough to treat Oscar during an FA Cup third-round tie against Watford.
Mourinho felt he was not told whether he needed to prepare a substitute in enough time and Oscar played on until being replaced by Diego Costa.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, in other words.
It is no secret that when a game does not go Mourinho’s way, he lets his annoyance known.
there was the red card for Courtois which resulted in Swansea’s equalising penalty, and a denied spot-kick for Chelsea when Costa went down under a challenge from Federico Fernandez — both irked Mourinho on the touchline, yet he resisted temptation afterwards. ‘I expect the referees to do their job well,’ was all he would say.
Instead, it was Carneiro who bore the brunt. Still, at least referee Oliver and his associates will be thankful.
SUPER STAT: Thibaut Courtois’s red card was Chelsea’s 70th in the Premier League — 17 have come under Jose Mourinho (24 per cent).
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6.5; Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 6, Terry 6.5, Ivanovic 5.5; Fabregas 5.5 (Zouma 76min), Matic 5.5; Hazard 6, Oscar 7 (Begovic 54, 6), Willian 6 (Falcao 84); Costa 7. Subs not used: Ramires, Mikel, Moses, Remy. Scorers: Oscar 23, Fernandez 30 og. Booked: Terry. Sent off: Courtois.
SWANSEA CITY (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Taylor 6, Williams 6.5, Fernandez 6.5, Naughton 6.5; Ki 5.5 (Cork 41, 6), Shelvey 8; Sigurdsson 6.5, Montero 7 (Routledge 71, 6), Ayew 7; Gomis 7.5 (Eder 79).
Subs not used: Nordfeldt, Rangel, Bartley, Tabanou. Scorers: Ayew 29, Gomis 55 pen. Booked: Shelvey, Cork, Williams.
Man of the match: Jonjo Shelvey. Referee: Michael Oliver 6.