Source: Telegraph
Chelsea crisis: Luiz Felipe Scolari caught in another fine mess at the Bridge
The Brazilian World Cup-winner was hamstrung by a club owner in Roman Abramovich who stopped investing, hamstrung by primadonnas like Didier Drogba, hamstrung by a goalkeeper in Petr Cech who lost his aura of invincibility and, unquestionably, hamstrung by his own failure to adapt to the marathon demands of the English season. [LNB]Many Chelsea fans celebrated on Monday, believing that either Guus Hiidink or a Gianfranco Zola-Steve Clarke dream ticket will ride to their rescue, but their problems lie in more parts of the ground than just the dug-out. As much as a new manager, what Stamford Bridge requires most is a new approach from everyone at the club from dressing-room to board-room. [LNB]Abramovich can appoint the experienced in Hiddink or the appealing in Zola but unless he radically overhauls the whole squad Chelsea will continue to slide. The whole place screams out for rejuvenation. Nowadays, the local pensioners wear blue shirts as well as red uniforms. [LNB]No one emerges from another fine mess at the Bridge with credibility intact. As Scolari trudges off into the sunset like a failed gunslinger, Abramovich must accept the need for reform. He must show he can lead the club. He needs to open his mouth, telling fans his plans, and open his wallet. [LNB]Only by acknowledging and then rectifying the myriad fault-lines shaking Bridge foundations can the Russian oligarch again be hailed as a responsible custodian of one of English football's most prized clubs. For Scolari, life at the Bridge "was not like it was in the brochure'' to borrow Kevin Keegan's famous phrase. Abramovich must update the brochure, providing funds to turn promises into reality. [LNB]Scolari wanted Robinho to bring some verve to Chelsea's attacking surges but the club's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, failed to land the Brazilian despite shirts going on sale with Robinho's name printed on the back. Yet because the 60-year-old is a good manager, Chelsea began superbly, winning nine away games on the spin, and earning plaudits for the way Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa raided down the flanks. Has he really now become a poor manager in five months? No. [LNB]As Scolari's team stormed across the land, Sir Alex Ferguson's observation that Chelsea lacked youth was widely queried yet the Manchester United manager was correct. Where was the energy of a Rafael as thrillingly seen at Old Trafford? Abramovich's failure to deepen the squad and the paucity of contenders emerging from the youth ranks meant that injuries and transfers hit hard. [LNB]Scolari had to cope with the grievous loss of Michael Essien, then Joe Cole. Then Abramovich sold Wayne Bridge and allowed Carlo Cudicini to move on. Blow after blow. Scolari resembled a conductor trying to lead a depleted orchestra with one arm tied behind his back. No wonder they struggled for harmony. [LNB]Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole sweated for the cause. They can look at themselves in the mirror this morning, knowing they gave their all under Scolari. But can certain others? Michael Ballack, the first import from BMW-land to have only one gear, earns £121,000 a week but is a shadow of the midfield force who dominates summer tournaments for Germany. [LNB]Drogba will continue to be linked with Inter Milan despite having loped around the pitch this season when sent on from the bench. Scolari told Drogba that if he wanted to leave for a "big" club like Inter, no problem, but he had better start performing like a "big" player. Drogba's reputation as a high-class battering-ram coveted by elite clubs dissolves by the day. Sadly, Cech is simply not the imposing keeper he was before that awful head injury. [LNB]Yet it is impossible to avoid the reality that Scolari also failed Chelsea. Allowing Clarke to quit for Upton Park was a significant error; Scolari should have fought more to keep a coach who understood how physically strong players must be to survive the assault course of the English season. The oft-expressed criticism about Chelsea's training lacking intensity was reflected on the pitch; they tailed off, their suspect stamina drained. [LNB]Further barbs can legitimately be aimed. Scolari's refusal to drill his defence properly in the art and science of dealing with corners bordered on madness and was certainly expensive in terms of points squandered. His failure to station a defender on the far-post (as against Fulham) defied logic. [LNB]For all the spiteful rewriting of his reputation that will now take place by those who forget he has been England's serial nemesis, Scolari remains an accomplished coach who just joined a good club at the wrong time. Money, as much as a new manager, now needs introducing into the Bridge by Abramovich - otherwise Chelsea will continue to be hamstrung. [LNB][LNB]Premier League departures 2008-09Alan Curbishley(West Ham, Sept) Kevin Keegan (Newcastle, Sept) Juande Ramos(Tottenham, Oct) Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth, Oct) Roy Keane (Sunderland, Dec) Paul Ince (Blackburn, Dec) Tony Adams (Portsmouth, Feb) Luiz Felipe Scolari (Chelsea, Feb) [LNB]Managers in numbers(as at Feb 9)2008-098 2007-0810 2006-079 2005-055 2004-059
