SCOLARI AFTER SIX MONTHS

As Luiz Felipe Scolari prepares for his first Christmas as Chelsea manager, he has given a major interview to Chelsea TV on his time in charge of the club so far.

Thoughts range from the personal to the tactical, and some of what was said can be read below. 

You're six months into your time at Chelsea, was it a good decision to come? 

A good decision, I am happy and so is my family. I think the fans for Chelsea are happy with the club, with the players. And it is a different time in my life and I am very happy for the decision.

It is it different to what you expected?

Yes, it's a little different; it's bigger than I thought before. And it's a little different than other clubs that I was coach at before. And the culture for football here is different.

In this six months I learn something more about my job, about the systems, about the players, about the Premier League. It's different than when I was outside, away and I listen more or I look more, it is different and it's fantastic. For a coach, I think this is the best time of my life.

It is unusual for a manager to make such a dramatic change, to have this challenge at this stage in your career.

Yes, it's unusual but it's an opportunity and when the opportunity arrives, you need to fight for it, because maybe there is only one in this life.

I was in Japan, I was in Kuwait, I was in Saudi Arabia, I was in Brazil many times, not only in my city but in other cities in Brazil, and when I arrived here and I had this opportunity, I'm thinking about this, this is the time, it's my time now.

Is it possible for me to work hard and win when I work in England, same as when I work in other countries? And the answer is yes, and I came. I am here and I am fine with Chelsea and everything in London. What I say to my family is maybe the opportunity only comes once in my life.

You are ready or you are not ready. And if you are not ready, you need to try, because it's only this opportunity. I think it was the best opportunity in my life to come to England and I try to do the best for Chelsea, and arrive to where we want to arrive.

What things have surprised you, what things did you not expect for good or for bad since you've been here? 

For bad, nothing, because when you are thinking about bad things, you follow the way for bad things.

One time there is a little problem, and another time, a different problem, but it's minimal. It's easy to think about this, and after one minute or five minutes, this problem is finished.

I only have good words about England, about my team, about my players. I think my players are the best players in the world. Sometimes we make mistakes, I know this and they know this and we're training for the next time to not make mistakes.

The weather, that I was afraid about before, is not different. In my city in south Brazil the weather sometimes is zero, -1, -2, -3, the same as here. I don't have something bad that I remember now.

Is day-to-day management different from national team management?

With national teams you play one game every month and after this game you need to wait 25 days, 28 days, to talk with the players again. What happened one month before you don't remember, or the players don't remember, because they play maybe seven or eight games for their club.

When you work in the club everyday you have one thing, a different thing to say to the player, to teach the player or to think for the next game. You need to teach something for our players like, 'look if they play with this situation, play like this or that'. It's better for me and it's more satisfying.

Some players you would have known when you arrived, maybe some others not?

Yes, Joe Cole and John Terry [I met before], some players, but when you play one game it is 90 minutes and you are not a friend. Maybe you only shake hands but no more.

You never have the possibility to talk 10 minutes, 20 minutes, about family, about culture, about the job, only the game.

After I arrive, I had the possibility to talk to with the players, about cultures and family. I am now more near the players. I know more about my players and it's possible this time to help my players better than before and it is very good for me because I am a friend.

In all my life, in all of the world, I have big friends; my players, and now I have more friends here. It's not just 24 or 25-year-olds, because sometimes I bring some young players from the youth team and they integrate with us, and they are my friends for the future. It is good for me because I like this atmosphere.

You have spoken about being a friend, a father, a brother when you are manager?

Yes. The first day that I arrived here I opened the door and I say to the players, 'my door is open every time'.

Sometimes maybe I say bad things for this game or for that game, all I need to say to you is that you are good or not good, but I am a friend and the door is open.

Sometimes I talk with all the players and sometimes with two or three players and sometimes when I need something different, when I want to talk to my players about something for the future or for the game, it's alone.

But it's here in the office or in the hotel before the game or in the dressing room. I have many situations that I use for motivation of my players. They know that I am a big friend and sometimes father and sometimes brother.

Tell us about your lifestyle, and about your relations with the press?

I am a simple man. I come to training and after my training I go to my house. Then I go bring my son one or two days from the school or I go to the supermarket to buy something to eat with my wife, and not more.

I am not a man for party. This is what I think is good for the press, because the press maybe sometimes look for this. I am happy with the press in England, because until now they respect me, and I respect the press and I try to do what the press wants sometimes, because it is difficult for me.

I have not words to express very well my ideas. I have the idea in Portuguese, and when I change the words sometimes the words are not correct for this. But they understand, and I think they help me many times.

You had a reputation for being an angrier person before you came but we have not seen this?

No. I am not angry. I am angry if some people, not only the press, but if some people don't say the truth or try to think about or try to write about my players something that's not the truth.

In that time, I am the father for these players. I don't want anything about my players because it is my group. I am the man that is responsible for this group. When I see that they write something wrong about this player or that player, yes I am angry, but I am angry for one minute, two minutes or five minutes and I say what I think, what I feel. After this, finish.

This is different and fun maybe for some people. I don't think more about this situation. I try to express my idea. I say what I want. I say what I feel and for me finish. After this, no more question.

This is why sometimes they say Felipe is an angry man, but if you ask the players, if you ask my friends outside, if you ask the people in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Japan, sure they say Felipe is a good man, a man that is lovely or something like this, because everyday, maybe one minute a day I am angry, but not more.

On the pitch?

On the pitch sometimes I am angry, yes, no more.

In terms of the football, are we on course for what you want? 

If I think about the balance (of points) it's okay, but the points that we lost in the Premier League, two times I think that we are not ready - against Tottenham and against Arsenal.

After this I understand that sometimes we do not play very well and the opponents' team is good, they have more chance to win. But only these two games I am not happy with my team. The other games I have lost because they play better and we win some games because we play better, but these two games it is impossible for me to accept.

What are your thoughts on the quality and competitiveness of the Premier League? 

It's a surprise for me because the many championships that I have played before, we had three, four, five very good teams; three, four or five teams who are okay and five or six who are not good.

But here, no, you play against first, you play against the rest and it's difficult, very, very difficult to win. At home and away, and this is a surprise for me. We have difficult games against the rest in the table, this is a surprise for me.

Also until now Chelsea has not played on a bad pitch. They are all very good pitches and this is fantastic for the players and for the coach because I like football and on a bad pitch you don't play football.

Is there more space for full backs away from home?

Yeah, because when the opposition play at home they try to attack more, they try to play more and they have the pressure from the fans. If they play a bad game, if they try only long balls, if they don't try to play, the fans will be shouting. In that time we have good quality and our quality goes up and we have more chance to win.

Are we going to achieve better home form?

Yes. I have now two weeks, this week and next week, to work with the players and in that time I have time to train the second system or the third system, because before it is impossible, before I had six, seven, eight players injured.

Before I played Wednesday and Saturday and international games. Now, this week, I train two times, with different styles, and I say to my players, if the game is like this, I try putting this player here and train them for it. Now 20 minutes into the training I see what's happening. Now I have time and no injuries and a good chance for me to start to play and change the systems.

Do you have a priority? Europe? The Premier League?

I play every competition as the best competition. Look, I lose in the Carling Cup, but I listened to some people who say that Carling Cup is not important. No, it is important. I lose and I fume and my players fume because they lose this. Now, we have three competitions and we need to think about these three competitions, they are important for us, not only one competition.

What are your thoughts on working at Christmas?

Yes it's a different time. I work only one time in Brazil at Christmas. I play in Brazil one time in Palmeiras against Cruzeiro on the 26th of December and we played the final game on the 29th of December. For Brazil, I think this has never happened again. It is normal here.

I asked why is this normal? And the people said after the 25^th, they go to the game with family, with child, it's fantastic.

The 26th is against West Brom and the 28th Fulham. If the stadiums are full, very good, it is beautiful. It is normal here, I need to understand this.

How's driving in England?

When I was in Japan, I drive to work, I was there seven months. Now, three months ago I start to drive here, a little, because sometimes you are thinking that you are in Brazil, but once you start to drive, no problem.

I don't speed, I am a calm man and I don't drive quickly, but I don't go to London. I drive to Cobham and in Kingston and Leatherhead, I stay near, not far.

In another six months time, will we have trophies?

I wish and I try my best with the players to pick not one, but two or three trophies. If we win two competitions I think it is fantastic. This I try to do for the club and the fans.