The So-So One Suggests Evolution Rather Than Revolution at Chelsea

Luiz Felipe Scolari faced the press for the first time today, and here are my first impressions of the new man in charge.

The overall feeling I got, both watching the press conference on Sky Sports News and watching the exclusive interview on Chelsea TV, is that Scolari will make minor tweaks and changes in terms of personnel. He said he wants Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba to stay, and that Terry will remain as club captain.

Scolari, in his interview with Chelsea TV said, “This time is the time to transfer. Maybe we are in Asia and will receive some players, because now is the time for this. We go to Asia I think with 95 to 99 per cent of the team.”

The message from Big Phil is that dead wood will be shifted, (Ben Haim, Pizarro and Sidwell I suspect) with maybe one or two players coming in.

If it aint broke, don’t fix seems to be the mantra, and, in my opinion, it isn’t broke. Managed by Avram Grant, we finished runners up in three competitions and were a penalty kick away from being European Champions.

Scolari alluded to this when asked about how challenging the Chelsea job is in comparison to coaching Brazil:

"The challenge at the time I took over Brazil was more difficult because Brazil were in a bad situation and Chelsea is not in a bad situation, it is in a good situation."

Pressed on the tactics he will employ, Scolari asked for time:

“I need to know the players for more than 15 to 20 days because when we arrive you think about the players and after you are training 10 or 15 days or one month you change some ideas about the players. Characteristics for the players are different in Portugal, in Brazil, in England. I need to know the players. After this I have a system.”

Scolari often preferred a 4-2-3-1 system with Portugal and Brazil, but such a system may not suit Chelsea. His words today suggest that he is willing to change little in terms of tactics if it benefits the team.

Scolari said he would try to strike a balance between beautiful football and winning football; something Mourinho accomplished in his first season as Chelsea manager with Robben and Duff down the wings.

On to his level of English; it appears that doubts about his ability to speak English were totally unfounded. He was able to convey his meaning well in the press conference and interview. He certainly came across better than Claudio Ranieri did in his introductory press conference.

The inevitable mention of Jose Mourinho’s now famous declaration that he is "a special one: came up and Scolari gave the assembled journalists an easy story and a future nickname to incorporate into pun-heavy headlines.

Asked whether he was special, he replied "yes", before going on to add:

"I am special for my friend, family and country. As a manager—so, so."

Overall, I was very impressed. He came across well and seems to be both firm and accessible, something which players need in a manager. He definitely has elements of Mourinho about him, but doesn't seem to be as brash and abrasive as his Portugese compatriot.

Time will tell whether Scolari goes for evolution or revolution, but my first impressions are that it will be the former. If Lampard and Drogba want to go then he may he have to dabble with the latter. It will be interesting to see how things pan out.