LONDON, AP:

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho played down the significance of dropping two members of his medical staff from match-day duties for treating an injured player, saying yesterday "we need disagreements to improve".

Club doctor Eva Carneiro and head physiotherapist Jon Fearn were publicly rebuked by Mourinho for entering the field to treat Eden Hazard late in Chelsea's match against Swansea in the Premier League Saturday.

It left Chelsea temporarily down to nine players because goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had been sent off.

Mourinho confirmed that Carneiro and Fearn won't be involved in tomorrow's match at Manchester City, but said they could resume their roles this season.

Concerns

Mourinho had a meeting with his "fantastic" medical department on Thursday and said he had no concerns about their relationship.

"They tell me all the time that they were never praised as much as they were by me in the last couple of years," Mourinho said. "They also told me yesterday that we have had disagreements during that period. We need disagreements to improve. We work together and we improve together. That is the way we do things. It is a relationship that is open to disagreement."

Mourinho has been widely criticised for his reaction to Carneiro and Fearn, who appeared to be doing their jobs by attending to the needs of a player who said he was injured.

By describing their actions as "impulsive and naive" and showing a lack of knowledge of the game, Mourinho has been accused by medical professionals of giving the impression that players' welfare was not being prioritised.

Mourinho said selecting which members of the medical staff are on the bench for a game is like choosing a team line-up.