Scolari: Chelsea have never replaced Robben
Luiz Felipe Scolari blames lack of creativity among Chelsea's squad for his sacking
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Friday, 13, Feb 2009 10:34
Sacked Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has admitted what many fans already knew by stating that the club have never replaced Arjen Robben.
The Dutch forward joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2007 for £24 million, with Florent Malouda arriving at Stamford Bridge from Lyon as a direct replacement.
But Scolari, sensationally dismissed last week after just seven months in charge, has claimed that Robben's creativity has been missed ever since, with the club not winning any silverware since his exit.
Scolari, in an interview given to France Football ahead of his sacking, hinted that the writing was on the wall for him ever since the club missed out on signing Robinho to Manchester City in the summer.
"At Chelsea we don't have the player who can make the difference by himself by producing something magical on the pitch," the Brazilian said.
"We miss that. I don't know why. In the past 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."
In the interview Scolari admitted that he had no relationship with his players away from training or match-days.
"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," he said. 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 [as a club manager] 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."
Since Scolari's sacking last week, Dutch coach Guus Hiddink has been appointed as his replacement until the end of the season.