Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro has become a cult symbol in a game that is largely male dominated even in terms of the backroom staff. She has also been quite successful since coming to Chelsea. Last season, Chelsea had very few injuries to report and this was a major factor in the club winning the league title after five years. However, one moment and one incident appears to have put her Chelsea future in doubt after Jose Mourinho has reportedly banned her from attending matches or entering the hotel where the players stay before the games.
Carneiro’s reaction to Eden Hazard going down from a tackle late in the game against Swansea last Sunday triggered a lot of unhappiness from Mourinho. The Portuguese manager pointed to the fact that Chelsea were already down to 10 men following the red card to Thibaut Courtois. However, Carneiro rushing onto the pitch and treating Hazard meant that the player had to be taken off the field under the standard procedures. This move saw Chelsea temporarily being reduced to just nine men with a few minutes of normal time remaining. The game ended in a 2-2 draw but it could have been worse if Swansea had made most out of their numerical advantage.
The 41-year-old is unlikely to be on the bench when Chelsea visit Manchester City on Sunday. SIT Picks for Soccer advice places the blues at 13/5 to win this away game. City have made a great start to the Premier League season after winning the opening game 3-0 against West Brom. They will be a formidable opposition for the blues.
After being highly pragmatic in the second half of last season, Chelsea have begun the new season with the same kind of zest that saw them go on a long unbeaten run at the start of last season. The will to attack also exposed Chelsea on a number of occasions and this was the case against Swansea too. Number of occasions, the likes of Gomis stretched to the Chelsea back four. Clinical strikers like Sergio Aguero will make more out of the chances. It would not be surprising to see Mourinho revert to a defensive style for the game against City.
Irrespective of the result, the Chelsea bench on Sunday will have a new look feel due to the absence of Carneiro. The doctor has been at Chelsea since 2009 but could offer her resignation in the wake of the recent shuffle. Carneiro is still in charge of the first-team but only up until the training ground. She is likely to be replaced by academy doctor Julian Redhead.
The lady should be promoted and not demoted, she did not do anything wrong, I believe she didn’t jump into the field to treat Hazard without receiving any sign to do so, either from the players or the ref, only if she went into the field on her own only then would the blame be on her, otherwise Mourinho is just acting like a ruthless dictator here!