tagged w/ Luiz Felipe Scolari
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After the shock sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea have appointed the Russian national team's manager, Guus Hiddink, as their manager until the end of the season.
Russian bosses and Chelsea FC managed to wrangle out a deal which will see Hiddink stay in charge of the Russian national team as well as Chelsea.
Wonder if being chummy with some of Chelsea bigwigs might give him a headstart, if not I think someone's friendships could be on the line come the end of the season if Chelsea don't have any silverware.After the shock sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea have appointed the Russian... more
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Luiz Felipe Scolari sounded an ominous warning to Chelsea’s Barclays Premier League rivals yesterday by claiming that his players have the potential to develop into the perfect team. The Chelsea manager even raised the prospect of emulating Arsène Wenger’s so-called “Invincibles” by going through the league campaign without losing a game – a feat achieved by Arsenal four years ago.
Chelsea are unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions this season with tomorrow’s top-of-the table clash against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge looming, although Scolari believes that the best is yet to come from his side. The Brazilian led his country to their fifth World Cup triumph in 2002 and has won two Copa Libertadores titles – the South American equivalent of the Champions League – with Grêmio and Palmeiras, but is adamant that this Chelsea team is the equal of any that he has managed before.
“We’re unbeaten so far and have the potential to become the perfect team,” Scolari said. “I’ve worked with lots of great teams over the years and it’s difficult to say which is better, but this team I’m coaching now is the team that in training give me more happiness than I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’ve seen in this team passion and professionalism.
“I think it’s one of the best teams I’ve worked with in my life. Passion and professionalism are so important. Sometimes you need to give more to the team because you love this team. Sometimes professionalism is more important. In the future, I think I’ll have more of both and it’s possible to go through the league season undefeated. In some games maybe we could play better than we’ve played up to now. It’s possible to play better, but I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen so far. We’re training every day for this. Every day we correct things that are wrong. Maybe after a month, a week or a year, the players will be better.” Luiz Felipe Scolari sounded an ominous warning to Chelsea’s Barclays Premier... more
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Luiz Felipe Scolari sent a powerful message to the Chelsea dressing room by publicly criticising his team despite their 4-0 Champions League win against Bordeaux.
“We didn’t play very well,” he said. “They made many mistakes when they had the ball. When you’re 2-0 up at half-time in the Champions League, you have to work harder.
“You need to control the game more and we didn’t control it very well in the second half. We know that we made many mistakes between 55 minutes and near the end.”
Scolari had a lengthy discussion with Joe Cole when he was substituted after 74 minutes and looked agitated and animated on the touchline throughout the match.
Having conceded after just 14 minutes, Bordeaux offered a limited threat and, with Manchester United looming on Sunday, Scolari warned his team that they could have been punished against superior opposition.
“We tried to attack every time with not good connections,” he said. “We received one punishment because we lost many balls in the middle. Other teams, arriving in front of goal, might have hurt us quicker. If they’d had more quality, it would have been dangerous for us.”
Despite Scolari’s concerns, the contrast with last season could hardly have been greater. On the corresponding day, Chelsea began their Champions League campaign with a drab 1-1 draw against Rosenberg and, barely 24 hours’ later, Jose Mourinho had departed as Chelsea manager.
Scolari, though, could hardly have enjoyed a better start to his tenure at Stamford Bridge and, following the disappointments of the past five years, the squad looks better equipped than any previous European campaign in the club’s history.
“The most important thing for us is the result,” said Scolari. “You never know what might happen. Cluj won in Roma and, if that gives us any advice, we’ll have to remember that in the next game. It’s important to win and to play well makes it better.”
Scolari was pleased last night with the width that Jose Bosingwa provided from right-back, while Frank Lampard also continued his outstanding start to the season with a goal and two assists. “For the last three or four years, Lampard has been the best scoring midfielder in the Premier League,” said Scolari. “He’s a midfielder but he gets in front of goal and scores many times. He loves football. He trains hard every day. When you have that, I think God helps you because, if you don’t like playing or don’t work in training, you don’t do different in the game.”
Scolari was also delighted and shocked at the FA’s decision to rescind John Terry’s red card and ensure that the captain will be available to face Manchester United. “I am surprised, but satisfied,” he said. “It’s the first time that I’m coach and they’ve changed the resolution from the referee. That would only happen in England. Anywhere else, it’s finished. But the referee saw the video and admitted he’d made a mistake. It’s a surprise, but a positive surprise.
“The Football Association have their men who understand that the referee is not God. They make mistakes sometimes, like I do and the players.”
Luiz Felipe Scolari sent a powerful message to the Chelsea dressing room by publicly... more
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Luiz Felipe Scolari last night admitted he was over-ruled by the Chelsea money men over the club's decision to let Manchester City buy Robinho - but insisted he had no gripe with Roman Abramovich.
Scolari had identified Robinho as the final piece in his jigsaw for the season and was left helpless when his club refused to match City and meet Real Madrid's £32million asking price.
But as he told Eastlands boss Mark Hughes he had turned down the City job in the summer before it was offered to the Welshman, the Stamford Bridge boss conceded he would have landed the 24-year-old if it was down to him.
Scolari said: "Robinho is a very good player but the club offered what they thought was correct and they didn't pay what they thought wasn't correct for the club, the agent, the player. I do not think City paid too much. Robinho is a very good player.
"If I have the money to buy a fantastic house I will buy it.
"When it comes to players, which players we should try to sign is a technical issue.
"But the board makes the decisions about money. It is the board alone."
Hinting at the seeds for future conflict, Scolari added: "The coach needs to say 'If I want this player, this is why.' If that didn't happen, the club would just go out and buy this or that player.
"I am the coach and manager, but I have zero influence on money. It's a job for Peter Kenyon, not me. My job is on the pitch. I say this player is good, this player is well. That's the way I've worked for 27 years as a coach. But this is the correct philosophy for Chelsea. We have one project and we follow that."
Scolari was walking a delicate path just two months into his tenure, although he did his best to point the blame at Robinho's entourage, led by agent Wagner Ribeiro, rather than the Blues board.
What is clear is, despite having a 90-minute window of opportunity to equal City's offer and land the player, Abramovich ordered chief executive Kenyon to withdraw - the first time since the Russian's takeover Chelsea have been beaten to a player they wanted by an English club.
And Scolari, seeking to deflect attention from the conflict between his wishes and the new financial imperatives at the club, suggested City might have beaten Chelsea to him as well if they had timed their approach better.
Scolari revealed: "City offered me a good situation and I listened before I came to Chelsea about the big projects they had.
Luiz Felipe Scolari last night admitted he was over-ruled by the Chelsea money men... more
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Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari insists he doesn't need to win the Champions League to satisfy Roman Abramovich.
Scolari's predecessors, Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant, failed to deliver Europe's top club prize to Chelsea's demanding owner and eventually paid the price as Abramovich wielded the axe.
Ranieri and Mourinho were unable to get past the semi-finals in three attempts and Grant took the Blues to last year's final, where they were beaten on penalties by Manchester United.
Now it is Scolari who puts his head on the block as he gets a first taste of Europe's elite club competition in Tuesday's clash against Bordeaux at Stamford Bridge.
For the moment at least the Brazilian shows no signs of feeling the pressure.
He has spoken to Abramovich about Chelsea's targets this season and is adamant that the Russian billionaire did not link success in the Champions League with his job security.
"You don't know the history. I know why the others were sacked. I could say it in Portuguese because in English it is impossible to say," Scolari said.
"I don't talk with Roman Abramovich about the Champions League. I talk to him about Chelsea and about all competitions. Particularly competition A, B or C?, never.
"We have to win all competitions, not only this competition. If you say this competition is more important than another I say no.
"This game is important and so is the League Cup and FA Cup. If you ask the players they want to win all of them.
"I won't say to my players only play for your life in the Champions League. They need to do their best in all competitions, all games and all the training sessions."
Scolari knows the bitter memory of that shoot-out defeat to United in Moscow is a huge motivating factor for his team, but he refuses to dwell on the past.
"I spoke to the players about starting this competition but I don't speak about losing the final or the penalties. I spoke only positive words," he said.
"I know Chelsea have tried for many years to win the Champions League. Last season they reached the final and that was fantastic. It is not easy, not just for Chelsea, but for many clubs to reach the final.
"We start to try again but it is a long way and we need to respect the other clubs."
Although Scolari has never experienced European action before, he knows how to succeed in continental competition after twice winning the Copa Libertadores - the South American version of the Champions League.
"I was a coach in many countries but I think the Champions League is one of the most important competitions of my life," Scolari said.
"In South America we have the Libertadores Cup. But in Europe we have more clubs and it is stronger than South America because there are more countries that have strong teams."
With Sunday's crucial Premier League clash against Manchester United looming large, Scolari could have been forgiven for resting players against Bordeaux but he will send out a strong team, minus the suspended Didier Drogba, with Michael Ballack likely to return after injury.
"I must think about Bordeaux," he added. "I can't worry about Sunday, I could be dead!"
John Obi Mikel is confident Chelsea can make amends for last season's final defeat as long as Portugal playmaker Deco stays fit and in form.
"It has been a long time since the Champions League final," the Nigerian said. "We all felt really bad after the game and we know what we lost. But this season we have a very good chance of winning it.
"Deco brings a lot to the team. He is the kind of player that always want to express himself.
"When you have guys like that you are going to have more possession. That is what the manager wants, he wants us to keep the ball and pass it."
Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari insists he doesn't need to win the Champions... more
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