Uncle Phil loses cool on Drogba

Group A: LUIZ FELIPE Scolari allowed his frustrations to bubble up last night after he was put on the spot over a reported meeting that Didier Drogba held with the Internazionale technical director, Marco Branca, in a London restaurant on Monday.

The Chelsea manager said he had no idea where Drogba had been but added, with no little sarcasm, that he was "not the policeman for my players" and nor did he "sleep with Drogba".

The striker is coveted at Inter by Jose Mourinho, who worked with him during his time at Stamford Bridge, and, with the talk about a potential reunion for the pair being fanned in Milan, Scolari could not conceal his exasperation.

"I think what I say one month ago," he said. "It's December, then it's Christmas and Christmas is for agents. They open their mouths for the world . . . I want this, the team wants that. Now is the month. Now maybe 15 players from Chelsea [go] outside and 15 come. If you ask me if I say any name, I say no."

Moments later, having delivered his terse put-down, Scolari pushed his chair back and got up to leave. He was unusually tetchy at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, where his team will play Bordeaux in the penultimate Group A tie tonight, and he was chased by one final question about whether Drogba had had permission to meet Inter officials. "Ask Peter Kenyon, ask Roman [Abramovich], I don't know," he said. "I am the coach."

The alleged rendezvous in London was also said to have been attended by Jorge Mendes, who acts as Mourinho's agent, and one of Drogba's representatives, Pierre Frelot.

Mourinho has a surfeit of riches up front and, while he may shed one striker in January, most likely the Brazilian Adriano, he would love to sign Drogba and pair him with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Mourinho was quick to stress he had no knowledge of the meeting. "I don't know if the meeting took place between my agent and Drogba," he said. "All I know is that I was with my assistant Rui Faria and our families having dinner in Cernobbio [near Como].

"I am not sure of Drogba's future but I know that Drogba is part of Chelsea's history and the last time I read something in an English newspaper, there was talk of him staying there."

Scolari huffed and puffed his way through his required media appearance. The questions about Drogba did not come until the end but he knew that they were coming. The situation appeared to get to him. This was not the nice uncle Phil from his early months in charge.

He was flanked by Nicolas Anelka who, back on home turf in France, was a case study in diplomacy or anodyne footballer answers, depending on your viewpoint. Anelka s midway through the flat-batting of a question about whether he felt he could forge a partnership with Drogba when Scolari stepped to flex his muscles. "It's not the problem for Anelka," he snapped. "It's my job [to pick] A, B or C. I need to like. It's not the player, I need to like."

It was not unreasonable to assume Drogba would soon feel the wrath of Scolari, if he had not already done so.

Scolari might have stressed his position of responsibility but he was eager for his players to assume their share tonight. The consequences of a Bordeaux victory would be unnerving. "We need to qualify for the second round," said Scolari, who said Sunday's Premier League match with Arsenal was not in his thoughts.

"We had a chance and we lost it against Roma [in the 3-1 defeat]. Now is the second chance for us. Me and my players will not expect a third opportunity [against Cluj on Tuesday week]. This is the day."

Scolari's major selection decision concerns whether to start with Drogba or Anelka as his spearhead. Drogba has endured a difficult season, his club appearances limited to nine in all competitions because of his knee complaint. He has scored only once, in the League Cup defeat against Burnley, and, when he celebrated by throwing a coin back at the opposing supporters, he received a three-match domestic ban.

Anelka has scored 13 goals, terrorising less fancied opposition, but Drogba, when fully fit, does offer a more direct and muscular option. Scolari has lamented his lack of a Plan B on several occasions.

"Scolari will probably opt for one of the two," said the Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc, "but I expect both of them to play some part. If you are a defender and you see Anelka coming on for Drogba or vice versa, it's certainly difficult."

When Mourinho left Chelsea, Drogba famously said that "something was broken". His relationship with Scolari has suffered at least a dent.

Chelsea are without the suspended Deco and have left injured quartet Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Juliano Belletti and Franco di Santo at home.

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