Mourinho issues barbed verdict on some chelsea players...

[Pauly]

"This was a game for people that want to succeed with this Chelsea," Mourinho is quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror.

"I mean Mr Abramovich's Chelsea, because he is the owner, but also the Chelsea of the dressing room and the human and professional relationships.

"If someone wants to succeed in this dressing room they have to watch this game and understand why some people have success and others have no success.

"It is obvious. You can go to any club and analyse player by player the contribution they gave in the season."

Some interesting comments- the third section leads me to beleive he has probably been taken out of context...

discuss?!

[Maksimov]

What's the source? I'd like to read the full article.

[Sofa Manager]

It's quite obvious - for me anyway - who are the targets. Shevchenko, Ballack and Robben.

On one hand it was rumoured that Shevchenko was (and still is) injured. As it seems, he has an hernia and is scheduled to have cirurgy now, though it could've been delayed.

Ballack also had a cirurgy on a foot (i think?), wich as it seems could've also been delayed for at least a couple of weeks.

On the Shevchenko situation, very little has been said apart from a somehow vague statement declaring he wasn't fit to play Liverpool. (and aparently is out for the rest of the season)

On Ballack's, although also very little has been said, the German doctors who performed the cirurgy were quick to state that it needed to be done NOW. If there was ever any doubts about Mourinho being disapointed, their declarations finished them once and for all.

Robben...won't even bother.

It is also no secret that JT played through pain this season and last season when he had an anoying injury on his foot. Lampard also has had minor injuries, Essien was injured before the Liverpool match and all of a sudden was fit to play. Mourinho also praised Carvalho for playing through pain for a large part of the season while holding the defence together on JT's absence. Then...Cech.

(Another tip is the hug he gave JT and Lampard on the end of the Arse match)

It's not rocket science. Some players are willing to play through pain and sacrifice themselves for a colective goal, some aren't.

I'm not saying Robben, Shevchenko or anyone else should break the laws of medicine and play with a plastered leg, but PERHAPS...the ones that did play through injury and pain, sacrificing themselves feel - to say the least - disapointed.

It's the "never say die" attitude of a few (most) players that is excluding a few others. Picture the situation on the locker room:

Robben: "Gaffer, I'm having a bad hair day, I don't think I can play"

JT (with a foot bleeding over everyone) : "You poor fella !"

[evissy]

My thoughts exactly sofa manager.

But it is still hard to believe that when JT is our captain there is even one player putting himself before team. The way he puts an example.

I think MB, AS and AR really have those injuries and they are as serious as reported.

[High Street Ken]

Cirurgy sounds so much more painful than surgery! Poor guy.

[Sofa Manager]

Cirurgy sounds so much more painful than surgery! Poor guy.

Oops. Lost in translation, mate.

[youlots]

To be fair to Ballack, it looked pretty bad when he was trod on - he insisted on going back on, hobbled around for a while and it was obvious that it was bad.

Obviously none of us have the full information as to whether he informed the club that he was going home for the op and whether he had clearance but regardless of what one thinks of Ballack's contribution this year, he's never struck me as one who, unlike others, has feigned injury and IMO he went for the op in order to try and be ready for Wembley. I mean, how could it be imagined that any footballer would want to miss Wembley.

[Sofa Manager]

Well, well well....

Seems someone f**ked up big time.

Not that a few around the house won't be sad that he has an outside chance of still playing the FA Cup Final.

Although I must confess I was also mislead by the previous reports and Mourinho's and Lampard's rants. (as were they by our medical staff).

Mea culpa

---

Chelsea admit Ballack was right to have an operation

By Sam Wallace

Published: 11 May 2007

Michael Ballack yesterday forced Chelsea into accepting that he was right to have an operation on his injured ankle despite the club claiming that he should be fit to play within five days. Now the Germany midfielder believes that he has a 50-50 chance of playing in the FA Cup final, despite Jose Mourinho's claims that he will almost certainly miss the game against Manchester United on 19 May.

Chelsea's admission came two days after it was revealed that Ballack was prepared to show Mourinho the chipped piece of bone removed from his ankle to prove that his decision to seek a second opinion in Germany was correct. The initial diagnosis by the Chelsea medical department had missed this detail and it was detected only by the sports injury specialist Hans Muller-Wohlfahrt when Ballack travelled to Munich on 27 April - the day that he was operated on.

However, it is understood that had Ballack waited any longer to have the operation on his ankle he would have stood no chance of recovering in time for the FA Cup final. Now at least he has some chance of playing in the game. Chelsea's statement yesterday in which they conceded "there is also no doubt that Michael has put Chelsea FC's interests first" was their way of admitting that Ballack was right to have the operation.

The player underwent micro-surgery to remove the chipped bone and his progress is good enough that he should at least be named among the FA Cup final squad to face United despite Mourinho's pessimism.

There is even an outside chance that Ricardo Carvalho, whose prospects were rated at "one per cent" by Mourinho, might be able to play against United if his knee ligaments respond to treatment.

The statement released on Ballack yesterday was what Chelsea hope will be the end to yet another bizarre saga of blame and recrimination at the club. The statement sought to answer what it called "speculation" about Ballack's injury - although it is certainly not common practice for the club to do that. In reality it was a way of appeasing Ballack by going on record that he did nothing untoward in choosing to undergo surgery last month.

The club claimed that "nobody's future at Chelsea Football Club was ever in doubt following his operation" - and then it went on to state that there was "full confidence in our medical team, headed by Bryan English, and his professional reputation". Dr English has an excellent reputation as a sports-injury specialist but there is no doubt that it was Muller-Wohlfahrt who saved the day as far as Ballack was concerned.

The row blew up at Chelsea when Mourinho was told that Ballack would be fit to play against Bolton six days after he was injured against Newcastle by Titus Bramble. That was the official line given to the Chelsea manager by his medical department. So when he heard Ballack had undergone surgery that meant he would miss the Bolton game and the Champions League semi-final he was furious.

What he had not been told was that the German doctors, including the national team doctor, had found the chipped bone and recommended an immediate operation. There would have been a delayhad they had to speak to their counterparts at Chelsea so the decision was made to have the operation immediately.

Even Chelsea admitted "there was a debate on when an operation should take place, and there was a final agreement on that surgery taking place" - by going to Germany, Ballack has given himself a chance of playing in the FA Cup final. Like many top Premiership clubs there is naturally pressure on medical departments to get players fit and ready to play as soon as possible and Chelsea are no different.

With Mourinho selecting a half-strength team for Wednesday's draw with United, it would appear that Ashley Cole will be preferred over Wayne Bridge for the left-back place against United at Wembley. Cole also requires an ankle operation that will be delayed until the end of the season.

Medical opinions: Who said what following Ballack's ankle surgery

1 May, Ballack

I didn't have this surgery for fun and I would much rather be with the team on the pitch against Liverpool.

5 May, Ballack

I couldn't stand on my left foot yet the Chelsea doctors said I could play soon. I would never have an operation unless it was strictly necessary.

6 May, Mourinho

That's why some players have 20,000 votes for player of the season, some have 20 votes, and some have none.

8 May, Lampard

There have been other problems at the club and they have to be addressed, simple as that. We cannot lose the spirit that has got us where we are, with certain people.

8 May, German authorities' statement

An immediate operation was necessary. Dr Wohlfahrt detected lose splints in Ballack's left high ankle. Further practice could have endangered the player's health, even threatened his career.

[g3.7]

stupid to question ballack's professionalism in the first place.