Malouda and Drogba let me down - and Chelsea board should have snared Robinho! Sacked Scolari blasts back at Blues
Luiz Felipe Scolari gave a scathing assessment of Chelsea's weaknesses just five days before he was sacked by the club.
The World Cup-winning Brazilian blamed his failure to keep pace with Manchester United and Liverpool to a lack of creative players at Stamford Bridge and identified the club's failure to land Robinho last summer as a key factor behind their disappointing form this season.
He went on to attack Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba for their poor form, describing the latter as 'lacking confidence'.
In an revealing interview published in France Football, Scolari highlighted the problems he has faced this season and offered an insight into the turmoil behind the scenes at the west London club.
Chelsea were on the verge of signing Robinho before Manchester City pipped them to sign the star from Real Madrid for a British record $32million. Highlighting the lack of spark, the former Brazil and Portugal coach said: 'At Chelsea we don't have the player who can make the difference by himself by producing something magical on the pitch. We miss that. I don't know why.
'In the past, Arjen Robben was at Chelsea and he could make the difference. But now there is no one. 'Robinho could have been this player. He is not afraid to dribble, to take a risk. As a Brazilian, I like this. My team isn't Brazilian enough. It is a 'bureaucratic' team. 'That's the style of my players. That's why Robinho would have done a lot of good for the team.'
Asked why he he rarely teamed Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba in attack, Scolari said: 'I don't have those players, so I have to adapt.
'With my squad it's very difficult to play with Drogba and Anelka up front. I don't have the players to play on the wings in that system. Salomon Kalou can play on the wing in a 4-3-3, but not in a 4-4-2 because he doesn't defend well enough.
'With Anelka and Drogba at the front, who would play on the left? And in the middle? If we played 4-4-2 we would lose the battle in midfield. So, I have to choose between Anelka and Drogba. And Drogba lacks a lot of confidence at the moment.
'After two or three big injuries, he is missing something. Drogba doesn't have enough confidence, so I choose Anelka.'
Struggle: Didier Drogba... Favoured: Nicolas Anelka
Scolari also echoed what many Stamford Bridge observers have argued since Jose Mourinho spent $15m bringing France winger Florent Malouda to the club.
'Malouda, at Chelsea, isn't the Malouda from Lyon,' Scolari added. 'He is OK, but he isn't the same that he was with Lyon. He doesn't make the difference in games any longer.'
The 62-year-old revealed a lack of dressing room harmony and even claimed managing in Brazil - where coaches regularly lasts months rather than years - is easier than the Barclays Premier League.
He said: "There are egos in the dressing room, but that is normal, isn't it? We all have egos. But my relationships with the players are good on the pitch. 'It is true that they are not the same as the relationships I had with my players in Portugal, but I spent five years there.
'In Brazil, it was also easier. I knew everything about the players. Here, I don't have a family relation with the players. Everything is on the pitch. Outside, there is nothing. 'I do not understand why we don't play well. Sometimes it's a problem with the players' positioning on the pitch. Sometimes we give the ball away too often. There are also individual mistakes.
'The injuries also make things hard. When you add all these things together, the situation is very complicated.' Scolari also criticised the congested fixture list in English football, adding: 'We don't have time to work tactically, because there are so many matches in this country.
'We work on very specific things with the defence and the attack – especially set pieces. But the midfield requires a lot more time. 'We only have 15 minutes here, 10 minutes there to work on that and it is not enough. Unfortunately, the midfielders don't work a lot.
'In Europe I know the manager doesn't usually do that. But in Brazil, we do it very often. 'There, if there is a game on Saturday and another one the next Saturday, we play 11 players against 11 on the Tuesday and the Thursday. It helps work the positioning of the players, the set pieces. It's tactical work and I think it can help the team here.'
But the Brazilian refused to blame owner Roman Abramovich for not releasing more funds for transfers last summer. Scolari said: 'It's a new situation for the club. I understand the situation in the world today, and that it is more difficult to buy players now. It's not a problem.
'I don't have to use that as an excuse. I have a good squad and when I signed for Chelsea I wasn't promised fortunes to spend on players. I have a good squad.' And with a hint that he knew what was coming, Scolari said: 'Club officials are in charge of this. Last summer they decided to offer me the position of manager.
'That was their responsibility. Now, if they decide to sack me this is also their decision. I just do my job.'
Scolari assessment of Chelsea's weaknesses
1. Lack of creative players at Stamford Bridge.
2. Failure to land Robinho last summer.
3. Didier Drogba poor form and 'lacking confidence'.
4. Chelsea don't have a player who can make the difference.
5. Cannot play 4-4-2 because Salomon Kalou doesn't defend well enough.
6. 'Malouda, at Chelsea, isn't the Malouda from Lyon.
7. A lack of dressing room harmony.
8. Congested fixture list in English football.
9. Players' positioning poor, give the ball away too often. Too many individual mistakes.
10. No time to work tactically, because next match come around very fast in this country.
11. Team isn't Brazilian enough. It is a 'bureaucratic' team.
12. 'The injuries make things hard. Add all these things together, the situation is very complicated.'
Managing in Brazil is easier than the Barclays Premier League.
