Scolari, is he looking for a way out of Chelsea and a
£10million pay-off?
Does he think his players are giving him everything on
the pitch or not? He can’t make up his mind. Drogba or Anelka?
Depends on who he has had a row with that day.
On Tuesday, he accused most of his players of
performing well below 100 per cent. Yesterday, though, he was even
more scathing and said his players had lost the heart to play for
Chelsea. And in that one sentence Scolari went too far.
Questioning the commitment of men like John Terry,
Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Cech is unforgivable.
Players who have won trophies for the Blues and who have given
their all for the club while doing so. Men who put their bodies on
the line every time they play.
It is also the quickest way to lose the dressing room.
And we all know what comes next when that happens — the
sack.
Scolari keeps telling us he is no fool — so why is he
behaving like an idiot? Is it because what he really wants is a way
out of Chelsea and a £10million pay-off?
Judge for yourself from this selection of his ramblings
yesterday. When asked why he thought his players had lost heart he
replied: “I don’t know why. Maybe because of some offers
outside.
“Do you believe in the Devil? Some players maybe
believe some things are good somewhere else and now is the time to
come and take from us. “If they are not transferred they need to
play, to love Chelsea, to play with their heart, here.
“On Wednesday we won, not because we played fantastic
but because of the heart. We loved the club, we wanted to win.” All
very well except the only players who have been the subject of
persistent transfer speculation are Didier Drogba and Wayne
Bridge.
So why are all of his players dicing with the
Devil?
Scolari authorised the sale of Bridge to Manchester
City and, as SunSport reveals today, HE is trying to offer Nicolas
Anelka, Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou in exchange for Brazil
star Robinho.
In the case of Drogba, bombing him from the squad for
the second time in a week has alienated his best striker. It has
also seen questions asked among other senior players who would much
rather have the Drog on the bench instead of four academy rookies
this afternoon.
And if you think that makes no sense, what about his
explanation of how the team intend to defend against Stoke today?
Again, the Brazilian coach described in detail the threat posed by
Tony Pulis’ direct and combative Potters. He even cited their 11
goals scored from free-kicks and throws, calling them “the most
dangerous side in the world from a set-piece.”
Really? Well, he changed his defence to a zonal system
against Southend and lost another goal to a corner. Scolari
accepted responsibility for that but claimed that he will use zonal
AND man-marking against Stoke, despite the two being exactly
opposite. He said: “I need two or three options. Before I only
marked man-to-man, not zonal.
“Now I have zonal and man-to- man. If this or that
happens tomorrow, we will discuss before the game. “We trained
today — 45 corners, 45 throw-ins, 45 free-kicks. “But tomorrow we
need good conditions for this and not to concede a chance to this
team.”
When it was put to him that his players prefer
man-to-man — as they have for the last five years — he became very
flustered. “No,” he said. “They prefer what I decide. You are the
coach?
“They prefer what I decide because I am the man who’s
in charge. “They can decide when they are the coach. But now it is
me who decides, finish.”
But won’t switching from one to the other confuse
them?
“No, no, no, no,” said Scolari. “When we play in this
position it’s this and that position it’s another thing. “We will
change depending on which kind of set-piece. “It might be confusing
for you, for the Press. But when I train for two hours there’s no
confusion.”
The proof of that particular pudding will come this
afternoon, when Stoke midfielder Rory Delap launches one of his
long throws towards the Chelsea penalty area. As for the rows he
has had with Drogba, Anelka, Alex and Carvalho — it is all the
figment of the media’s imagination, according to the Blues
boss.
Of course it is. It is also the last refuge of the
desperate manager to blame the Press, his players, the referee,
etc. Whether or not there is any reason for the madness of Big Phil
remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, however, results and not
words will decide his fate as Chelsea manager.
