If KFC could deliver their chicken as reliably as Carlos Carvalhal delivers his analogies, then half the meat-eating population of the UK wouldn’t be going hungry this weekend.
The Swansea City manager has served up fish, lobsters, caviar and now poultry at his press conferences as well as Portuguese pastries.
Carvalhal tucked into more culinary comparisons on Thursday when he was asked how many points he felt would be required this season in order to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
“If you and I go to a picnic and we take one chicken and I eat it all, statistically we have both have eaten half a chicken but you have not had any,” said Carvalhal.
“That’s why I don’t like statistics. It is unpredictable, but we are all different and seasons can be different.
“What if you say you need so many points but you end up needing more? I will just try and achieve the best points total I can. You say 40, but it could be 38 or 44. Statistics are based on old numbers.”
Swansea currently have 27 points, one less than Brighton, who are two places above them in the table, but only one point more than Southampton who are two places beneath them and in the relegation zone.
Between Stoke City, who are 19th, and Bournemouth, who are 10th, there is only a gap of six points – meaning among the bottom half f the table this is the tightest race to avoid the drop in the history of the Premier League.
Swansea are currently one point outside the relegation places in 16th and can leapfrog Brighton with a victory at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
However, Carvalhal insists the game is of equal importance as any other in the Premier League.
“I don’t think like that, we are working to achieve points against all teams,” said Carvalhal. “It is not more important to win this than other games, we will try and win points against all opponents. Every point can be important.”
Carvalhal believes fit again Alfie Mawson is one of England’s leading defenders, but insists it is not his job to tell Gareth Southgate who to take to the World Cup.
Mawson has recovered from the knee injury that forced him out of the FA Cup replay at Sheffield Wednesday last week and is likely to return to the side that face the Seagulls.
The 27-year-old defender was feared to have suffered a serious injury when he pulled out during the warm-up at Hillsborough, but the “locked knee” his manager had referenced has been repaired through rest.
“Alfie is okay, he is training,” said Carvalhal. “He recovered as we expected so there is no problem and he will available for the game on Saturday.
“I said in the press conference [after the Sheffield Wednesday] that he locked the knee. Usually when you have locked the knee, we put the pincode in and it unlocks.
“But maybe he forgot the pincode on Wednesday it was still locked but after the game he was much better – he did not need any support and he has recovered completely.”
Mawson’s injury cost him the chance to impress England boss Gareth Southgate, who had travelled to watch Swansea face Wednesday at Hillsborough.
Carvalhal says he is yet to be approached by Southgate for advice about Mawson but the Portuguese insists he would be happy to speak with the England manager.
“I saw after he was there, it would be a pleasure to meet him one day but I have not met him so far. I will not tell him what to do,” said Carvalhal.
“I recognise that Alfie is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, that is for sure, but I will not say he deserves to go [to the World Cup], because I would be interfering with the work of my colleague [Southgate].
“He [Mawson] is progressing a lot in many different areas, they are not all on the pitch. He is a better and better player and is progressing.
“One of the best central defenders in the Premier League, I’m absolutely sure.”
