Chelsea legend Petr Cech has opened up on Luiz Felipe Scolari’s ill-fated spell at Stamford Bridge, pointing to “old-school” training methods as the primary reason for the Brazilian’s dismissal.
Scolari, who arrived in London in 2008 as a World Cup winner, lasted just seven months in the job. Despite a decent record on paper 20 wins in 36 games the team’s performance on the pitch began to stagnate, leading to his sacking in February 2009.
According to Cech, the issue wasn’t Scolari’s personality, but a fundamental misunderstanding of the Premier League’s physical demands.
A Lack of Intensity and Tactical Detail
Speaking to ESPN, the former Czech Republic goalkeeper explained that the transition from rigorous European tactical drills to Scolari’s more relaxed approach left the squad underprepared.
“I think the way he worked wasn’t suitable for a Premier League team,” Cech admitted. “The Premier League is about relentless intensity and obsessive attention to detail. Under Scolari, the message was more like: ‘Go out there and express yourselves.’ It was a very Brazilian approach, but we weren’t as fit as we needed to be.”
“Good People, Wrong Fit”
Despite the tactical shortcomings, Cech was quick to defend the character of ‘Big Phil’ and his backroom staff.
“They were fantastic people,” Cech added. “From a human perspective, I really enjoyed working with them. It was a shame the results didn’t follow, but the training just didn’t have the grit required for English football at that time.”
Scolari was eventually replaced by Guus Hiddink, who famously led Chelsea to FA Cup glory that same season, proving Cech’s point that the squad was talented enough to win they just needed a different spark.
Ronald Mike is a football writer covering the English Premier League, providing match analysis, tactical insight, and coverage of key rivalries and title races across the season.
