Yesterday quotes from our ex-manager – the venerable Mr. Scolari – appeared all over the web. Luiz alleged that it was player power, and specifically the power of Drogba, Cech and Ballack, that got him the elbow in February.
He goes on to say that it’s always the manager that gets fired first, not the players, because the directors and owners of European football clubs end up siding with the latter. You can read an overview of his comments in the Sun here.
Nice deflection, Scolari. The fact is that the best managers of the game don’t get fired before players. How many players, for example, have left Old Trafford in the last ten years because their actions led them to fall out of favour with the boss? And how many from Arsenal?
The difference with Scolari of course, was that he didn’t have the record of success to back him up when players (who have better records in European football than he does) started taking issue with his methods and, as a consequence, the board didn’t really have much choice.
So, wake up Scolari. Chelsea were sliding towards 5th in the table and out of the Champions League spots. Hiddink came in and scored more than a point per game more than you did (see here for the full statistical breakdown). Player power played a part in your demise, but wasn’t the primary factor – that was you.
Oh, and good luck with Bunyodkor.
Am I being too harsh on the big man? Post a comment.