Mourinho has no doubts that Ivanovic is his best right-back

One of the stories of Chelsea's early season so far has been Branislav Ivanovic's perceived bad form by many, granting criticism not only from fans but also from the media. While the media part might be a bit nit-picky at times, it doesn't diminish our concerns about the Serbian's performance. According to José Mourinho, Ivanovic knows he is not up to par.

"[Branislav] Ivanovic likes to speak to me about his mistakes. He is not crying, he is not a prima donna, he cannot be immune to criticism.

"I speak to him, I am critical to him about what he needs to improve.

"I have no doubts that he is my best right-back. I have no doubt that he needs to improve in some aspects of his game this season".

Mourinho also responded to Neil Ashton's article in the Daily Mail, claiming that no player in his squad is not susceptible to criticism from him.

"When players make mistakes, we speak about it.

"If it happens first half we speak at half time. If it happens in the second half, we speak the next day.

"We never speak after the game, never. I never react. I don't have a prima donna that cannot be criticised, like some newspapers said".

-José Mourinho; Source: Get West London

While Mourinho's apparent lack of criticisms during post-match interviews might annoy some of the fan base, his philosophy doesn't sound odd. There's no point in publicly naming scapegoats right after a bad match, with emotions running high, and little, if any time to evaluate what went right and wrong during the game. But it certainly doesn't mean the Chelsea manager isn't giving his players the "hair dryer" treatment behind closed doors. Hopefully this approach will bring out the best out of our players -- with the results to match.