Scolari Destroyed Mourinho's Chelsea Defense

Chelsea football has evolved greatly through the last several years with such a high turnover of coaches!

The most remarkable came after the Russian revolution at the club led by Roman Abramovic.

The immediate coach with an impact was Jose Mourinho, whose style took many by surprise and he proceeded to destroy records that had been set by other English clubs before.

The most remarkable things about his style, though, was the solid defense his team always had. This was his recipe for success at FC Porto and at Chelsea. He arrived at the Bridge and converted what appeared to be average defenders like Gallas and Terry into superstars! They seemed to operate like one solid unit with lots of discipline.

His defensive record was so outstanding he just could not lose at the Bridge in the Premier League. This record was maintained by the much maligned Avram Grant.

Scolari has come onto the scene with a different system, which seems to emphasise more on romantic football. His passing style is predictable, and he seems to have bypassed his defense when coaching the team.

What used to operate as a solid defensive unit is now riddled with mistakes that are costing the team dearly. The Fulham game was a good example. In the Mourinho era, it would be unthinkable for Chelsea to surrender a lead especially in the dying moments of the game. An unmarked Dempsey ghosted in a late equaliser from a corner kick, then Scolari blames the Keeper!

Then came the Manchester massacre. Actually, Chelsea's passing game had been effectively neutralised by Ferguson's men. The only bad part is that Scolari did not seem to have alternative ideas!

All goals came from crosses to the area, and what is shocking is that the defenders don't seem to be able to mark opponents in these situations, let alone jumping with the opponent to apply pressure.

John Terry was squatting when the cross for the second goal came in, and watched the ball dipping just above his head...

The ever reliable Carvalho was out of sorts, giving away the ball inexplicably!

Set pieces seem to be the new mode of beating Chelsea. They just can't defend them. They conceded from two corner kicks, a free kick and a cross into the area.

When all is said and done, Scolari's security of tenure will be safeguarded by a more disciplined defense and not colorful football.