The Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari or ‘Big Phil’ as he is affectionately known seems destined to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson in the Manchester City hotseat. But is the current Portuguese national boss the right man to replace the outgoing Swede?

From Ice Cool Swede to a Latin Temper with a Mean Left Hook

You won’t find a bigger contrast in temperaments than Sven and Scolari. The 59-year-old Brazilian is renowned for his fierce temper which spilled over in Portugual’s Euro 2008 qualifier with Serbia when ‘Big Phil’ threw a left hook at opposition player Ivica Dragutinovic after the final whistle. Now could you imagine Eriksson doing the same? If any fans found Sven’s calm dispassionate demeanour lacking then they’ll be more than impressed with Scolari’s more expressive behaviour on the touchline!

Big Phil the Coaching Nomad

Big Phil has had an interesting and varied coaching career having managed club sides in his homeland Brazil, Kuwait, Japan and Saudi Arabia. However, his lack of European club football experience must surely be seen as a drawback. After all, in his 26-year managerial career the Brazilian has coached 8 different Brazilian clubs (2 more than once), 1 Kuwaiti side (2 times) and 2 Saudi Arabian teams. He has also coached the national teams of Kuwait, Brazil and currently Portugal. Scolari has been working in his current role now for 5 years which is his longest stint in charge of any club or country. If he does arrive at Eastlands, City fans shouldn’t expect his stay to be a long one!

The current Portugal Coach doesn’t possess the experience of coaching club sides in Europe unlike Eriksson who’s managed 8 different clubs with undoubted success. In fact both men have superb trophy-laden CV’s though Sven has achieved his club success in different European countries, whilst Big Phil has only really excelled in his homeland. Though to be fair he’s won nearly every top honour. He has won the League title, domestic cup, the Copa Libertadores, the Recopa Sudamericana and narrowly missed out on the Intercontinental cup with Brazilian club sides. Whether Scolari can duplicate that South American success in the hurly burly of the Premier League remains to be seen and the Brazilian’s appointment would be somewhat of a gamble for Thaksin Shinawatra. However, if you are going to have a gamble, why not gamble on a man who has won a World Cup!

Big Man Not Afraid to Make Big Decisions

Scolari has a reputation for being single-minded and never swaying to public pressure to affect his decision-making. This is illustrated by his refusal to select Romario for the 2002 World Cup despite a public clamour for his inclusion. That decision along with his more defensive tactical approach meant he wasn’t the most popular of men despite proving all his critics wrong and winning the competition. He is a well read man who tends to focus on the mental attitude of his players superbly illustrated by his handling of the Brazilian national squad for the 2002 World Cup. He gave each player a copy of Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’ which is a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC. This method was also used on the Portuguese team before they faced England in the 2006 World Cup. So don’t be too surprised if Micah Richards and co. are reading the works of Chinese philosopher Confucius rather then FHM and Nuts next season.

Big Phil’s Positive Portugal Performance

Scolari’s current contract ends after the European Championships and he has already stated he will be leaving his post. Thus City won’t need to pay compensation for one of the most high-profile Coaches in world football. He led Portugal to the 2004 European Championship finals and to the 2006 World Cup semi-finals so has been a success for Portugal. However, losing to Greece in the 2004 final despite being the home nation somewhat dented his reputation. Despite defeat this was Portugal’s first ever final and he holds to honour of being the first foreign coach to lead a nation to a final in that particular competition though Greece’s German Coach Otto Renhagel soon matched him.

Whether Scolari is the answer to Thaksin Shinawatra’s prayers (whatever they may be) remains to be seen. Yet if Big Phil does accept the role at Eastlands, City fans are sure to see a lot more passion and action on the bench than they ever did with serene Sven. Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and co. may have to watch their actions around the fiery Brazilian as he’s shown he doesn’t ever pull any punches!

Written by Christian Goodbrand