Chelsea boss Mourinho: I'll keep picking Ballack
tribalfooball.com - January 09, 2007
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho insists he will continue to stick with underfire German midfielder Michael Ballack.
Although he has not been outstanding since his arrival in England, the 30-year-old will continue to play a pivotal part in Mourinho's team.
Mourinho said: "He is in the team because not the fans, the president or journalists pick it, but because I do.
"Michael has not done anything amazing yet, but he is a team player and sacrifices himself for the team. That is another reason why he plays," Mourinho said on Germany's ARD TV.
Meanwhile Bayern Munich chief Uli Hoeness believes that Ballack's indifferent form for his new club is the result of confusion at Stamford Bridge.
Hoeness explained: "I think Chelsea have bought these star players without working out where and how they will fit into the side.
"They need to decide where his best position is. It's difficult for Michael to be seen at his best, because he is such a similar player to Frank Lampard.
"Both like to attack and get forward, but one of them also has to get back and defend.
"I think there's a lot of confusion as to what people's roles are. Look at (Andriy) Shevchenko, Chelsea thought he would be their main striker, but (Didier) Drogba has done far better, and now they are trying to play both. They need to work out a system and settle on it."
Ballack played 107 times for Munich before opting to move to England and Hoeness urged Chelsea fans to give him time to prove himself.
He added: "Remember he had an extremely tiring World Cup, and he has obviously been feeling the effects.
"I remember in 1974, Bayern were 12th in the league after six months, and that was because (there were) six of us (in the squad) who had won the World Cup, and it took a long time to recover from.
"But we were champions at the end of the season, so people should judge top players after a full season.
"The criticism doesn't surprise me, as it goes with most top players when they move clubs."
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sound familiar? Not that I have hope for scudetto but reading this made me feel a little better