Scolari lost the dressing-room after all.
For all the very real evidence of discontent that has
filtered out from Chelsea’s inner sanctum in the past few months,
it seems that Luiz Felipe Scolari’s crime was to lose the boardroom
rather than the dressing-room. Many of Chelsea’s senior players
were shocked and saddened when told of their manager’s departure
after training with their international teams yesterday afternoon,
with John Terry and Frank Lampard acting as the messengers of doom
after they had been informed of the latest twist in the life of
this most turbulent of clubs by a personal telephone call from
Roman Abramovich, the owner.
Despite having reservations, Terry and Lampard felt that Scolari
was capable of turning things around and should have been given
more time, but, unfortunately for the Brazilian, such a view was
not universally held by their team-mates — a worrying state of
affairs that highlights his biggest failing at Stamford Bridge.
Over the course of the past 18 months, the best team spirit in the
Premier League, instilled by José Mourinho, has declined to such an
alarming extent that several players have begun openly questioning
the authority of the manager and the contributions of some of their
colleagues.
It has not quite descended into a state of civil war, but even
from the outside the tensions are obvious. In essence Chelsea’s
players are divided in two, between those who play for the club and
the fans, such as Terry and Lampard, and those who have developed
the bad habit of playing for themselves.
In this context it is understood that several of the club’s
foreign players have been to see senior boardroom figures in the
past few weeks to complain about Scolari’s methods and are not
displeased by his departure. While there is no suggestion that
Abramovich bowed to this latest outbreak of player power, with the
fear of failing to qualify for the Champions League the decisive
factor behind his decision, such scheming does illustrate some of
the problems that will face Scolari’s successor. There can be few
dressing-rooms containing such a powerful cocktail of ego, earning
power and sheer stubbornness as that at Chelsea.
Scolari is believed to have retained the backing of the majority
of his players, although, crucially, their support was based
largely on admiration for his qualities as a man rather than as a
manager. The 60-year-old won the squad over with his affable
personality and vision of free-flowing football last summer, but as
the season has developed doubts began to emerge about his coaching
capabilities.
In addition to the well-documented complaints regarding his
training sessions — dismissed as lacking intensity and focus, with
a series of five-a-sides taking precedence over proper skills work
— Scolari’s tactical acumen was also questioned, particularly when
it became clear that he struggled to alter the course of matches
that were not going Chelsea’s way. Ultimately, he paid the price
for failing to live up to the exacting standards set by Mourinho.
Although he will not say so, especially with a £7.5 million payoff
in the bag, Scolari is also understood to have felt let down by
several of his players.
Lampard is the only one to have consistently produced his best
form this season, with even hitherto reliable performers such as
Petr Cech and Ricardo Carvalho suffering from a drop in form. Many
of the players have been quick to blame the manager for the team’s
travails rather than address their own shortcomings, but although
this evasion of responsibility reflects badly on the individuals
concerned, it does not do much for the reputation of the manager
either.
By failing to keep them all engaged, focused and united, it
appears that Scolari lost the dressing-room after all, even if they
did not realise it at the time.
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