The next morning, Ethan was eating breakfast while reading the newspaper. England has always had a well-developed newspaper industry, and Ethan often found interesting news in the sports section.
That day, a major headline in The Times caught his attention—it was about Chelsea. Luton was set to face Chelsea in their upcoming away match, so Ethan was particularly interested in the club's current situation.
"Drogba revealed in an interview with France Football that in 2008, he nearly lost his passion for football due to a lack of support at Chelsea. He stated that following the devastating loss of his grandmother, the club failed to provide the emotional support he needed. Furthermore, he felt he was not given the playing time he deserved. In the interview, Drogba criticized Chelsea's treatment of long-serving players and expressed disappointment with then-manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. He argued that while Anelka was an excellent player, Scolari should have partnered them together rather than relegating him to the bench."
Ethan paused and sifted through his memories.
How did Scolari lose his job again? Of course, it was linked to Chelsea's poor form. Abramovich was never a patient owner, and Scolari wouldn't last much longer. If memory served correctly, he would likely be sacked in early February.
Ethan checked his phone, and sure enough, he had remembered correctly. Just yesterday, on December 28, Chelsea had squandered a two-goal lead against Fulham in the West London Derby, drawing 2-2. That result left Scolari in a precarious position.
Lampard had scored twice, but Fulham responded with two goals from Clint Dempsey. The away supporters jeered Scolari, chanting "You don't know what you're doing!"—a clear sign that his time at Chelsea was running out. The Times reported that Abramovich had watched the match from his yacht, looking visibly displeased.
Abramovich's decision to dismiss Mourinho in 2007 had been a controversial one. While some believed it was due to Chelsea's struggles in the Champions League, others pointed to Mourinho's reluctance to play Shevchenko, a close friend of Abramovich. However, a major factor was the Russian owner's dissatisfaction with Mourinho's pragmatic, defensively solid style of play. Abramovich craved a more attacking and aesthetically pleasing brand of football.
After Mourinho's departure, Israeli coach Avram Grant took over and led Chelsea to the Champions League final, only to lose to Manchester United in a dramatic penalty shootout. Chelsea also finished second in the league behind United. Despite his respectable performance, Grant was let go at the end of the season.
That summer, Chelsea appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari, a World Cup-winning coach with Brazil. Upon taking charge, Scolari promised to bring a "sexy football" philosophy to Stamford Bridge.
"Even though I am coaching in England, I want Chelsea's style to resemble that of the Brazilian national team. The two styles are quite different, but we will focus on dribbling, control, and fluid passing wherever possible. Of course, I will also respect the strengths of my players—some already fit into this philosophy, while others will continue playing in their natural way."
His words had initially excited Chelsea fans. The team started the season strongly, winning six and drawing two of their first eight league matches to sit atop the Premier League table. At the time, supporters were full of praise for Scolari, believing he could lead Chelsea to great success.
However, as the season progressed, cracks began to appear. The question remained—were Chelsea's players really suited for the Brazilian style of football?
However, after losing to Liverpool at home in the ninth round, Chelsea's form began to decline. Their 2-1 home defeat to Arsenal in the fifteenth round of the league further intensified scrutiny on manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
The criticism of Scolari primarily centered around three key issues:
1. Tactical Rigidity
At the start of the season, Chelsea's attack was hampered by Didier Drogba's injury and the club's failure to sign Robinho, who was instead acquired by Manchester City. As a result, Scolari deployed a single-striker system with Nicolas Anelka leading the line. Initially, this approach was effective, with Anelka thriving as Chelsea's primary goal scorer. However, as the season progressed, opposition teams adapted by crowding the central areas and denying Anelka space, nullifying Chelsea's attacking threat.
Despite Drogba's return from injury, which provided an opportunity to shift to a two-striker system, Scolari remained stubbornly committed to his original setup. His reluctance to adjust tactics led to Chelsea struggling for wins at Stamford Bridge, and their strong away record also began to deteriorate.
2. Lack of Squad Rotation
By midseason, Scolari had made minimal changes to his starting lineup, relying heavily on key players such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Čech, José Bosingwa, Ashley Cole, Mikel John Obi, Deco, and Anelka. Terry, Lampard, Čech, Bosingwa, and Anelka had played in all 18 league matches up to that point. If not for injuries, Deco and Ashley Cole would have likely done the same.
While squad stability is crucial, Scolari's near-complete reluctance to rotate his team took a toll on player fitness and form. Fatigue set in, leading to a drop in performances during the second half of the season.
3. Questionable In-Game Management
Scolari's substitutions were also a major point of criticism. The most frequently substituted player was Juliano Belletti, followed by Paulo Ferreira, Drogba, and Salomon Kalou, with Wayne Bridge and Branislav Ivanović also making multiple substitute appearances. However, many of these changes were defensive, even when Chelsea needed goals.
For example, in a crucial match against Fulham, with Chelsea chasing a win, Scolari chose to introduce Bridge to reinforce the defense rather than making an attacking substitution. This cautious approach frustrated both fans and pundits, especially when compared to the more aggressive and winning mentality of José Mourinho. Scolari's reluctance to take risks in key moments led to questions about his ability to guide Chelsea to silverware.
As a result of these issues, Chelsea's form continued to suffer, and tensions grew within the squad. For an opponent like Luton, this presented a perfect opportunity to exploit Chelsea's weaknesses.
Ethan stroked his chin thoughtfully.