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Felipe Scolari Can handle it
Thursday July 24,2008
By Tony Banks
LUIZ Felipe Scolari has brushed aside Sir Alex Ferguson’s jibes that he will be under major pressure to follow in Jose Mourinho’s footsteps at Chelsea, saying he had been in the spotlight all his life.
Scolari watched his Chelsea team overcome Guangzhou Pharmaceutical 4-0 in his first game in charge and showed that for once Ferguson might have met his match in the traditional pre-season mind games.
The United manager claims that Chelsea are ageing and incapable of improvement, but Scolari says it is that very experience which will provide the key to glory this year.
After goals from Salomon Kalou, Frank Lampard, Franco Di Santo and Shaun Wright-Phillips sealed a comfortable win, Scolari said: “I am under no more pressure. I have pressure, but all of the coaches in the world have the same pressure.
I am under no more pressure
Felipe Scolari
“It is normal. For me, it’s no different from when I was coaching any of my other club sides or when I was in charge of Brazil or Portugal. No different.”
Scolari also believes he has the right mixture of experience and youth in his team to produce a blend that will unsettle United.
I have the players with experience and I have some young boys in my team,” he said. “We have enough experience for the Premier League.”
Scolari also claimed he was confident that Lampard, who was in his starting line-up last night and, as we revealed yesterday, has been offered the record-breaking five-year deal he wanted, will now stay at the club.
“I said two days ago that Frank is here. He is with us, training, and playing very well.
“He is only one player from our squad, and we know speculation is part of our world,” he added. “Until August 31, there will be more speculation around Chelsea than any other team.”
Chief executive Peter Kenyon, meanwhile, claimed that under Scolari, Chelsea have a unit that can do the Double this season.
He said: “The club progressed last year to get to the Champions League final, so our expectations are to get the Premier League trophy back from United and we want to go one step further in the Champions League, which means winning it.”
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