ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:LUIZ FELIPE Scolari spent much of his pre-match briefing yesterday on a charm offensive, lavishing praise on Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Manchester United's visit to Stamford Bridge, though he still could not help but lurch into the mischievous at the last.
"Maybe next season Cristiano is with me," he muttered. "Very good. If he wants to change, I'll open the door to that."
It was said as a joke to lift the mood ahead of an eagerly anticipated collision between the leading clubs, yet quite whether Ferguson would see the funny side is open to question. Real Madrid's blatant courting of Ronaldo over the summer has left United uncomfortably sensitive when it comes to any interest, even playfully expressed, in their talismanic forward. The managers are supposed to share a bottle of wine after tomorrow's game. Scolari's quip may just crop up in their post-match conversation.
For all Ferguson's shielding, Scolari is close to Ronaldo, having worked with him for five years with Portugal. It was the Brazilian who handed him his first cap, against Kazakhstan in August 2003, and who gave him the captaincy - albeit in honour of the late president of the Portuguese Football Federation - a day after his 22nd birthday in a friendly against Brazil in February 2007.
"When I arrived in Portugal, Ronaldo was just a kid," he recalled. "A young boy of 17. But, even then, he had a good character and it was clear he was going to become a good professional.
"He was already thinking about his future. He's improved himself in the years since. Next season I can see him as a captain with Portugal because people like him and he has the confidence to succeed in that. He's a very good man, he helps the other players, and has a good attitude on and off the pitch.
" He has grown up, matured. He is a better player now than he was two years ago, and he is my friend. I like him as a father likes his son"
Scolari has been at pains since Euro 2008 to stress that he never advised Ronaldo to leave United for Real. "All we spoke about in the summer were the Euros," he said, a reference to the tournament rather than the currency.
Tomorrow, he expects to confront the 23-year-old from the outset. "He'll start," he added. "I know him." Scolari has yet really to get to know Ferguson. Their brushes in the past have been limited to an Intercontinental Cup match in Tokyo some nine years ago, and numerous telephone calls from Portugal checking up on the fitness of Ronaldo and Nani.
Ferguson has rarely warmed to his direct rivals in recent times, but Scolari will welcome the Scot to Stamford Bridge with open arms.
"I am an opponent only on the pitch," he said. "We had a coaches' meeting with Uefa 15 days ago and all the coaches got on well. Not just Ferguson, but Arsene [Wenger], [the Bordeaux manager] Laurent Blanc, [Roma's] Luciano Spalletti. I've spoken to Cristiano about Alex and he only has good words about him. His players respect him as a coach and as a father figure, and as a friend. We don't have a 'good' relationship only because I've only met him two or three times so far."
Relations between these clubs have been more strained in recent times. The post-match fracas at Stamford Bridge in April - Chelsea are contesting a Football Association charge of failing to keep their groundsman under control, while Patrice Evra will attend a personal hearing next month after being charged with improper conduct - was regrettable, while memories are still fresh from May's Champions League final. Scolari has not watched a rerun of that game in the build-up to tomorrow's rematch.
Victory would edge his side nine points clear of the champions. His assertion that such a gulf "means nothing at this stage of the season" can be dismissed as readily as his assessment of Ronaldo's availability.
Guardian Service
