Ricardo Carvalho needs IQ test - Mourinho

While it is refreshing to hear a footballer (Carvalho) speak his mind, he had no business putting his teammates under the bus with his comments. Gallas and Terry were the best defensive pairing last year (statistically and otherwise), and I'm glad that they will continue to start. Carvalho needs to take a page from the Joe Cole book - work harder, and win a place.

Now i do do belive Carvalho is an outstanding central defender and one of the best in the world, he shouldn't off critisced Jose's team selection. And if this continues i think it would be good for the team if he was shipped off.

Personally, I wasn't all that convinced by Carvalho until towards the end of last season - he put in good performances against Barcelona especially. But I still prefer Terry and Gallas as a pair, Terry reads the game, is brave in the tackle and good in the air, while Gallas is quick and good on the deck. The stats don't lie!

Personally, I’ve been very weary of accepting the reports of Carvalho’s outburst as true, generally putting it down to the anti-Chelsea forces trying to undo us before the Arsenal game. The fact that the English press didn’t get their sources right in the earlier reports also helped to strengthen this view. However, once it became confirmed that indeed it originated from Portugal (where Carvalho is away on international duty) and that this is widely reported outside A Bola, I started having my doubts about my earlier position. These doubts were made firmer by the report of Mourinho’s response in Des Record, another Portuguese paper. I felt it was typical for Mourinho to respond in such a bullish no-nonsense manner. But, a part of me was still hoping that he and Carvalho would simply come up and deny the stories, especially with Arsenal already celebrating what they think is a crack in our dressing room.

However, I felt better this morning when I read Terry’s comment on the situation. He didn’t mince his words in his support of Mourinho:

"As happened last season, everyone got their chance at the club. It's just a matter of staying patient.
"Ricky is clearly frustrated but there are others. Everybody wants to play and they will do. Look at Joe Cole last season. He wanted to play and his chance came along and he went on to figure in some giant games for us."


It was at this stage that I really began to feel that the story is indeed true. But still, I was looking forward to this afternoon’s press conference for final confirmation or denial. At the press conference, Mourinho confirmed that indeed the story is true, including his own response. Mourinho stood by what he’d said and revealed that he spoke to Carvalho on Saturday (before the Wigan game to explain what he was doing) and was surprised he ran to the press on Tuesday. He said he’d spoken to Carvalho yesterday about it, but insisted what he discussed with him is private. But he clearly let it be known that if Carvalho understands him, life would be easy for him. To my greatest relief, Greenberg revealed that Carvalho had actually made a statement of apology to the group.

Well, let’s just hope we wouldn’t be hearing this kind of complaint from our stars. Carvalho’s own is baffling, considering that he shares an agent with Mourinho (Jorge Mendes), who testifies that they had a meeting pre-season where Mourinho explained his intentions to Carvalho and the latter accepted without reservation that he would be rotated with the others. Mourinho has clearly been open about this and he’s said so publicly as well, promising to give everyone a chance and calling for patience. In Carvalho’s case, having undergone shoulder surgery in the summer, it is in the interest of everyone that he be eased gently into action, even if he was guaranteed a starting place. Yet, with all these facts available, the man chose to blab to the press!

I just hope he’s learnt his lesson and I just hope also that any other superstar thinking the same way quickly buries the thought. The fact that Mourinho can be this firm and ruthless with a fellow Portuguese and a player he’s worked with for four years, a player he actually moved heaven and earth to bring from Porto, says a lot about his professionalism. And as for the fear that this is just the beginning of discontent within the camp, Terry’s reaction and the obvious fact that Carvalho’s apology is to the group clearly indicates that no one player can hold the club to ransom. Yeah, we’re a love boat; but throwing tantrums is simply not on.

And now that we’re done with that, let’s kick Arse!

C’mon Chelsea!

One point that has to be made is that these kinds of outbursts in the media are not as innocent as one might think. Mourinho was bang on and very clever in acknowledging what's really going on! Look, Carvalho is not stupid (hopefully). He knows that such outburst will never win him a starting place in the team! But he might have thought that such an outburst might get him A TRANSFER!!!! Mourinho gave all the other players a clear message: "you'll rotten in the reserves to the expiry of your contract but you won't get a transfer". See, some of our players might think that a clever interview might get them an easy transfer... Chelsea is lucky to be in the position where we don't care what a player costs... he plays only if he deserves it and the one to decide that is Mourinho, only! Fine by me!
Now, go Chelsea, as Kenn said, and kick some Ars.

Yes lets all make a big deal out of nothing.

I find it quite ironic that Mourinho, a man who is no stranger to sticking his feet in his mouth while talking to the press and almost had Chelsea thrown out of Champions League last year, would get so publicly wound up over Ricardo Carvalho's comment...but brush off Arjen R. recent displeasure.

This could have been dealt with in a dignified manner behind closed doors.

But to publicly humiliate and make grovel a player who helped put the silver wear in his cabinet, who has never had any out bursts before and just seems to do his job, is quite surprising.

The reason Mourinho got so wound up about Carvalho's comments, is because Ricardo said one thing to Mourinho, and something completely different to the press. Robben didn't. Simple as that.