Jamie Carragher: Jose Mourinho must stay, even if he made a mess of Eva Carneiro affair

Jamie Carragher believes Chelsea would be wrong to sack Jose Mourinho, but says the manager has created many of his own problems this season.

In his column for the Daily Mail, Carragher questions Mourinho's wisdom in giving his players an extra week off over the summer - which saw Diego Costa return overweight - and also points to the fall-out with Eva Carneiro as a key mistake. 'You should also not under-estimate how distracting and unsettling the episode with Dr Eva Carneiro will have been for the players,' writes Carragher. 'If you are looking for someone at a football club, the first place you should go to is the medical room. It is the hub, the place where everyone meets. 'Doctors and fitness staff are like agony aunts, sounding boards who listen to the issues and problems you might have. 'But doctors don’t just look after players — more often than not, they will also help out when there is an illness in your family, so you develop a high level of trust with them.' Despite Mourinho dropping the ball with his medical staff, Carragher says his impressive record should buy him more time at Stamford Bridge: 'If he is sent on his way by Abramovich at this point of the season, Chelsea will be weaker and their rivals’ chances of success will automatically be improved.'