Grant demands mature attitude

AVRAM GRANT is unwilling to act as a “baby-sitter” to his stars and expects them to remain professional when they are left out of his plans.

Shaun Wright-Phillips was axed for the midweek Champions League victory over Schalke and unsettled striker Andriy Shevchenko played only the last few minutes as a substitute.

But while the 52-year-old Grant maintained both have a future at Stamford Bridge, he refused to say whether Wright-Phillips would be back in the squad against former club Manchester City today and also admitted Shevchenko is still not at his best.

Grant declared: “Generally, I think we treat the players very positively and very professionally and we expect the same from them. I only can tell you that what I speak about with the players is between me and them and not public.

“We have 25 players in the squad and most are international players. But we are allowed only to play 11 and have five on the bench. Every game we play, there are five or six international players, good players who are not in the squad.

“It is nothing personal against anyone. I’m thinking about the team. Shaun is a professional. He wants to play of course, he wants to be in the squad but I can’t tell you if he is in the squad.”

Since Grant replaced Jose Mourinho as manager last month, Shevchenko has made just two starts – one in the defeat at Manchester United and the second in a goalless home draw against Fulham.

Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich believes Grant is the man who can get the best out of the Ukrainian but the Israeli manager would not confirm plans to hire a sprinting coach to work with the striker.

Grant said: “We are looking at ways, many ways, to improve our team – on the tactical, mental side and sport side. Look, we are talking about professional players. They need to handle everything – we are not baby-sitters of the players.

“We try to help them. My way is to try to help them. My way is to try to help them if they help themselves. We try to sort out the problems but I’m not thinking about this during the games. I am thinking what is good for Chelsea.

“Andriy is a great player with a great attitude. He was not as his best in the last month so this is the reason that he doesn’t play. It doesn’t say anything about the future, if he’s not in the squad, we expect him to do his best for the team and when we need him I am sure that he will be there.

“I prefer now only to say he was not in his best from the beginning of the year. There are many reasons for this. We try to help him, as we try to help other players. But the players need to help themselves. Sometimes the problems come from the physical side, sometimes the mental side and sometimes it is both.”

Grant was distinctly nonplussed by the FA’s decision to fine the club £30,000 this week for failing to control their players during his first match in charge at Old Trafford. The charges, which the club admitted, were in relation to the conduct of their players towards referee Mike Dean following the dismissal of Mikel John Obi.

Assistant first team coach Steve Clarke was given a suspended fine after admitting a charge of using abusive and/or insulting words towards the match officials.

But Grant maintains: “I think our behaviour was on the right side. I think the only person who didn’t behave nicely in this game, maybe not nicely, but made a mistake was the referee.

“I don’t know why they fined us. I always speak to the players when I think they did something wrong. I always say my opinion to them. But I think it is not right that they fined us. As you see from this game until now, our players have behaved very nicely and very sportingly.”