Scolari a great, but will he be great for Chelsea?

Aug 13, 2008, 13:51 GMT

London - Last season Chelsea would have won the Champions League had John Terry not slipped while taking a penalty in the shoot-out in the final.

They finished second in the Premier League and lost the Carling Cup final only after extra-time.

Another age might have judged it a season a hair's breadth from success, but the modern pressure on one of the biggest two teams in England meant it was deemed a failure.

Manager Avram Grant was widely derided, by players and media alike, and was sacked, being replaced by Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Portugal to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.

His record in his native Brazil and in international football is excellent, but is he really the man to bring glory to Chelsea?

He won the Copa Libertadores with both Gremio and Palmeiras, and led Brazil to the World Cup in 2002, but he has not coached a club side in seven years, and has never taken charge of a club team in Europe.

There must be a question over whether a mindset forged amid the technical football of Brazil will be able to adapt to the more physical demands of the Premier League.

There must also be a more general doubt as to how a turbulent personality will deal with the demands of owner Roman Abramovich.

One of the reasons for the breakdown of his relationship with Grant's predecessor Jose Mourinho, it was said, was that Abramovich found his approach tedious, and Grant spoke of an 'obligation to entertain'.

Scolari, though, has historically been noted for his pragmatic approach and that could cause friction.

The players insist he will play a more expansive game. 'The manager wants to play an attacking game, which is exciting,' said forward Salomon Kalou.

'Last year it was more about teamwork, being defensive, not conceding goals and trying to score one, but this year it will be different.

'We were too cautious last season. There were some games when we were waiting and waiting and didn't take our chances.

'Grant didn't really change anything, but you can see from the players Scolari's taken that things are going to be different.'

A major difference is the departure of Claude Makelele for Paris St Germain, which leaves Chelsea having to field a more attacking player in the holding midfield role - presumably either Mikel Jon Obi or Michael Essien.

The arrival of Deco adds creative thrust to the midfield, while continued talk about the possible arrival of either Real Madrid forward Robinho or Kaka from AC Milan suggests an aggressive approach.

Most important, though, Scolari insists, is silverware. 'Chelsea want to be at a higher level than they are now,' he said.

'They want to be first in the world. To do that we need not only to beat Manchester United and (Sir Alex) Ferguson but to finish above all the other clubs.

'The board haven't said to me that we must win this or that. They just said to me: 'Try to improve on where we are now. We need to win more competitions.'