Sheva wanna bottle?

Andriy Shevchenko must be the most infantile player in Europe. I must admit that I had him pegged completely wrong. He’s been left out of tonight’s starting lineup when Chelsea face Liverpool in their Champions League second leg semi-final and to repay his 30 million pound fee, he’s claimed the proverbial groin strain to send the team a message.

Instead of sending a message, he’s made himself look a brat and a fool.

As the season evolved I was teetering between Mourinho being too hard on him or whether it was Shevchenko that is too soft and I have finally gotten it. Andriy Shevchenko only plays football when he has a bottle in his hand. I have given way too much benefit of the doubt. Mourinho was right all along.

Watching training Sunday when Mourinho opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Kalou and Cole supporting Drogba up from, the little ballerina watched from the sidelines and pouted with his arms folded. A slightly respected doctor was quoted as saying that prolonged arm folding and a droopy lip led to the injury. To boot, the youngster cannot even travel to Anfield with the team.

At AC Milan, Shevchenko must have been coddled beyond belief. When he arrived at Stamford Bridge he assumed his reputation would get him more of the same, especially with a sympathetic owner. But Mourinho, to his credit, is made of stronger stuff and demands more that what the player would offer so was led to a place on the bench and chance after chance to prove some worth. He has not, and it’s time for Roman Abramovich to accept that his coach has been right all along.