Scolari says players 'love' him

AT THE end of a week in which Luiz Felipe Scolari felt obliged to hold a clear-the-air meeting with his squad the Chelsea manager said yesterday that his players "love" him. Scolari spoke of a "fantastic atmosphere" among his players and repeated that rumours of squad unrest were unfounded.

This week Didier Drogba suggested the Brazilian was "scared" to partner him with Nicolas Anelka in attack and said Chelsea had been unsupportive last year, the latter comments being raised by team-mates in Tuesday's meeting and leaving the Ivorian facing a club fine.

But the manager was effusive about the spirit and affection that staff have for each other despite a run where Chelsea have taken a disappointing 10 points from seven matches.

"The players love me," Scolari said. "Why? Because I never criticise them. If we make a mistake I never point at a player and say you are wrong, I say it is our mistake. I defend my players every day and I give my best every day. They don't come into my office and say 'Phil, oh, I love you' but I can feel it. You don't need your son or wife to say I love you every day for you to know it's true."

Scolari has broken up the family at Chelsea by sanctioning the departure of Wayne Bridge to Manchester City but insisted Chelsea do not need to make any signings this month and that the club would even contemplate selling their star players. He replied with an emphatic "no" when asked whether it was true that he was under orders to offload players before being allowed to recruit any new ones.

"I am not a manager, I am a coach and money is not my business," he said. "But if a club wants any of our players, make a bid. My advice is to make a big, big offer because, if a player is playing for Chelsea, it is because he is very, very good."

Scolari had previously indicated he would seek an extra striker in January but suggested that was no longer the case.

He also rubbished reports that the fee gained from Bridge's imminent sale, believed to be around €11.4 million, would be used to fund the purchase of CSKA Moscow's versatile left wing-back Yuri Zhirkov. "Who?" asked the Brazilian, pointedly contorting his face as if bewildered.

"If I want a player, I tell Peter [Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive] and I have not spoken to him for five days. If I want a player, I tell Peter first but I have not done so in 2008 or today. I'm happy with my players."

He is in no rush to replace Bridge. "I have Ashley Cole and Paulo Ferreira, who played left-back for me for five years with Portugal."

Scolari said the only problem Chelsea faced was their stuttering home form but that he had now resolved that. "How can I be a good manager away but not good enough at Stamford Bridge? It's not possible," he said. "We have been working very hard in training at finding more space at home and the problem should be solved."

The manager will use today's FA Cup tie against Southend United to give a start to Michael Mancienne after recalling the youngster from loan at Wolves. He will also play Drogba to aid the striker's return to full fitness after injuries this season.

"He will play because he needs to play more times than before," said Scolari, who said he saw no evidence that Drogba was unhappy at Chelsea. "I only know what I see on the training ground and I don't see anything different with Didier," he said.

"I see in Didier every day more quality, training more happily and trying to return to the same condition as before."