Any Chelsea manager, as Avram Grant found out to his cost last month, needs to be a serial collector of silverware and have a big personality.
Tantrums and silverware make Scolari perfect for the Blues, who after Mourinho were looking for a high profile coach
LONDON: Any Chelsea manager, as Avram Grant found out to his cost last month, needs to be a serial collector of silverware and have a big personality able to cope with one of the most unforgiving jobs in football.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, who will take over at the London club on July 1 once his stewardship of Portugal comes to an end at Euro 2008, can put a large tick in both boxes.
The Brazilian, who is approaching his 60th birthday, has an appetite for success to match Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, while his passion for the game often spills over into temper tantrums and run-ins with officials and opposing players. The thought of Scolari head to head in the technical area with Manchester United’s tempestuous Alex Ferguson and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger next season is a dream scenario for the hyped-up Premier League.
Chelsea fans spent most of last season recovering from the sudden departure of their beloved Jose Mourinho, the man who returned glory to Stamford Bridge after 50 years of league mediocrity, winning two titles in his three seasons in charge.
For all his honest endeavour and impressive results, Grant, a rather dour Israeli, was never going to fill Mourinho’s boots and was sadly lacking in the ‘wow’ factor demanded by both Abramovich and the fans.
When Grant was sacked despite taking the west London club to their first Champions League final and pushing United all the way to the final day of the Premier League season, Chelsea fans awaited the announcement of a real heavyweight coach.
Scolari’s decision to accept arguably the most demanding job in club football should allow them to sleep easy. Scolari will become the first Brazilian to manage a leading English club and whether he delivers or not, life at Stamford Bridge certainly should not be dull. Two years after turning down the England job, citing his concerns over media harassment, Scolari has put himself firmly in the firing line. The Brazilian certainly will not shirk the challenge. In 2001 he took over an ailing Brazil squad struggling to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals. Brazilian fans worried about his reputation for rough tactics but a year later Brazil were crowned champions against all the odds by beating Germany.
For all the flare-ups and comedy moments, Chelsea have hired one of the best coaches money can get. He will relish the cut and thrust of England’s abrasive top flight and if anybody can take Chelsea nearer to their dream of world domination it is Big Phil.
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