Luiz Felipe Scolari the New Man at Chelsea: Should Manchester United, Arsenal & Liverpool be Worried?

The Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari or ‘Big Phil’ as he is affectionately known has agreed to succeed Avram Grant in the Chelsea hotseat. He is rumoured to be armed with a £100million kitty and a hitlist including the likes of David Villa, Deco and Kaka. Should the rest of the title challengers be worried by the latest development at Stamford Bridge? You bet they should!

From a Dour Israeli to a Latin Temper with a Mean Left Hook

You won’t find a bigger contrast in temperaments than Grant 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 Avram doing the same? If any fans found the Israeli’s calm dispassionate demeanour lacking then they’ll be more than impressed with Scolari’s more expressive behaviour on the touchline. Expect more fireworks next season with the Brazilian’s character more than matching Jose ‘the special one’ Mourinho’s.

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. When he does arrive at the Bridge, Chelsea fans shouldn’t expect his stay to be a long one!

Scolari’s Silverware Success

The current Portugal Coach doesn’t possess the experience of coaching club sides in Europe like Mourinho. However, Big Phil excelled in his homeland. To be fair he’s won nearly every top honour he’s competed for in his career. He’s 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 Roman Abramovich. 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, this is 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 John Terry and co. are reading the works of Chinese philosopher Confucius rather then FHM and Nuts next season.

Big Phil’s Positive Portugal Performance

Scolari will join Chelsea after the European Championships, just 2 days after the scheduled final. Thus the Blues 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 final 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 the honour of being the first foreign coach to lead a nation to a final in that particular competition though Greece’s German Coach Otto Rehhagel soon matched him. His current Portuguese squad has won both of it’s Euro 2008 matches and is one of the favourites for the competition this summer. He has an embarrassment of attacking riches at his disposal and the exciting but organised style of the team was surely one of the reasons Abramovich approached him.

Whether Scolari is the answer to Roman Abramovich’s prayers (whatever they may be) remains to be seen. Yet now Big Phil has accepted the role at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans are sure to see a lot more passion and action on the bench than they ever did with serene Grant. Fellow title rivals Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez may have to watch their actions around the fiery Brazilian as he’s already shown he doesn’t pull any punches!

So do you think Scolari’s appointment and his relationship with both Portuguese and Brazilian players can sway the title Chelsea’s way next season? Do you think the tempestuous Brazilan will be a major success and eclipse his title rivals? Let’s hear your views.

Tags: Arsenal, Brazil, Chelsea, Euro 2008, Liverpool, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Manchester United, Portugal, Roman Abramovich

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