Scolari in Portugal - news

[Ombak]

He officially signed today with the Portuguese FA, his contract is from Jan 2003 to the end of Euro 2004.

Personally I think he could do very well with them, I hope he's succesful in bringing some composure to a team that has pretty of talent. If they manage to shed their reputation as whiners I'll be pulling for them.

BTW, I just learned form uol.com.br that Portugal has had a Brazilian coach before. In 1966 when they took 3rd in the WC they were coached by Óto Glória.

[Alex_1]

Just sort of like confirmation from what the masses were expecting since the day Portugual were eliminated. It will be inetersting though. What is a bigger challenge? "Turning around" Brazil to eek into the WC then win (albeit it wasn't the most difficult road IMO) or "Turning around" a Portugal side with no-one but themselves to blame really for their lackluster WC showing.

So it will be interesting. Scolari has met success in cutting player's egos, and getting themto buy into his system. HOwever with Portugal, some of those guys are bigger head-cases than the Brazil players. More so Pinto and Gomes, but some of the others are like time-bombs, and when things don't go their way, they do things that make you, the fan, want to kick their ass. They're not a likeable bunch, and cutting through the BS they bring may be one of the biggest challenges.

Anyway, should be interesting. Portugal still has the talent to show well in Euro 2004. SOmething how they signed him only for 2004 - they want to keep the door open in-case of a sub-par performance in 2004 for WC qualifying. Scolari knows this though - the pressure is on since I guess Portugal is hosting, right? So what is the more pressure? Brazil or this stint at Portugal.

One thing's for sure though. If Scolari succeeds here, he can certainly claim that Mother Theresa isn't the only person that can work miracles.

[moacir]

It is not only the head-case players, but the club presidents etc. I don't think that he will let Pinto da Costa place Vitor Baía in goal to valorize Porto's investment.

Interesting that in a last minute glitch someone tried to block his nomination "because he was not qualified".

The best the Portuguese ever did was with a Brazilian Coah : Oto Glória.

[ROM2]

I've been wondering when he was going to find work and he's got a good one with Portugal it's a pity their top players aren't a few years younger but they 've some good youngsters coming through, I expect Scolari to do well - langauge shouldn't be a prob!

[Labdarugo]

Fascinating interview with Big Phil in the December 2002 edition of the British soccer mag FourFourTwo. Lots of insight into the mental preparation of the team, why he chose the players that he did, how he worked with "the stars". Since it's a British mag, there's a lot on the Brazil-england quarter-final games (too much IMO at the expense of other games like Brazil-Turkey)

Anyway, here's a sample quote.
On working with Rivaldo:
" ... Another important situation with Rivaldo related to tactics. I told him that Cafu had to be captain. But that he, Rivaldo, should know that technically he was the real captain. Anything arbitrary like motivation and on-pitch decisions was Cafu's responsibility. But technically Rivaldo had to take the initiative and control the team during the matches. He followed my advice and did what I asked him. He was my face and my voice on the pitch. ..."

It doesn't appear that this is on the Web anyplace. You can usually find a copy of FourFourTwo at Borders or Barnes and Nobles. Worth the visit.

Has he given similar interviews elsewhere in English?

[MIGkiller]

Scolari begins his Euro2004 journey with Portugal this weekend:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-euroscolari&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Euro-Scolari attempts a 2002 re-run with Portugal


ALCOCHETE, Portugal, June 10 (Reuters) - Two years ago, Luiz Felipe Scolari produced one of football's great turnarounds by leading his native Brazil to an unprecedented fifth World Cup success in South Korea and Japan.

Although the actors and the setting are different, the script is remarkably similar as Scolari attempts a repeat performance with hosts Portugal at Euro 2004.

They go into the tournament with a talented group of players but few people really believe they can win the title.

[MIGkiller]

Well, definately not a good start for him: Portugal 1 x 2 Greece.

[Riotom9]

This is hilarious. He's always had a way to bruntly give you the truth...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/euro2004/headlinenews?id=303492&cc=5901


'Those 20 days were the first time I had the chance to spend a long time with the team.

'It was like going out with a girlfriend for five or six years, getting married and splitting up one week later.

'You sleep together, wake up and then you see what she looks like first thing in the morning -- really quite ugly.' - Felipao

[Alex_1]

Wow. That article is loaded with great sig. line material. It's like some of us said before in Rivalries when the absurd Euro vs. World Cup debate was brought up. Of course the World Cup was easier for Scolari to win - he had better players. ;)

But I think this seals his fate with Portugal after Euro 2004. Although I sort of wonder if he was in any way misquoted.

[Andre_Fla81]

What the heck is Felipão trying to proove over there anyway? They never wanted him in the first place. Why even bother? I don't get it.

[Ombak]

O Scolari é muito cagão! Sortudo, estrela, não sei mais o que. What a lucky bastard!

[Century's Best]

Felipão, Felipão... hehehehehe meu herói.

Eu sabia (e gente, eu sou novo no Big Soccer mas em outros fóruns, eu aplaudi a decisão da CBF de contratá-lo há 3 anos) que o Felipão era o homem certo para salvar a Seleção.

Muitos dizem que ele não é um TREINADOR bom. Pode-se argumentar que Vanderlei Luxemburgo e Carlos Alberto Parreira possuem um conhecimento tático superior, mas Scolari destaca-se pela sua capacidade de improvisar e adaptar-se. E, o cara tem raça. O cara sabe motivar os marmanjos.

Eu sou SPFC mas me lembro daquele Palmeiras 4, Flamengo 2 na Copa do Brasil de 1999. No final o Palmeiras não venceu este torneio, mas faltavam poucos minutos para o final e o Flamengo de Romário estava prestes a matar o Palmeiras em pleno Parque Antártica. 2 escanteios, 2 gols, o Felipão vibra que nem louco, a torcida fica nas arquibancadas durante vários minutos. Eu tive que admitir que aquilo foi impressionante.

Daí veio a Libertadores de 1999 com vitórias dramáticas (pênaltis contra Corinthians e Deportivo Cali) e categóricas (contra River Plate). Comecei a respeitar e admirar o Felipão nessa época. E o cara ainda conseguiu levar o Palmeiras à uma segunda final consecutiva na Taça Libertadores, após despachar o Corinthians outra vez, nos pênaltis. É verdade que em 2000, o Palmeiras perdeu, mas ninguém pôde questionar a habilidade de Scolari de tirar o máximo proveito daquele time modesto.

Aí, chega 2001, e a Seleção está afundando. Luxemburgo, Leão, Candinho. Os argentinos estão detonando e nos tirando; a classificação está em jogo. Derrota pro Uruguai, vexame na Copa América, Romário enchendo o saco. No final, que prazer deu quando o Brasil se classificou, e quando o Felipão excluiu Romário. Sempre respeitarei o Romário pelo Tetra, mas aquela sacanagem da cirurgia e a excursão do Vasco durante a Copa América foi imperdoável.

E maravilha. O Brasil traz a Copa pra casa e praticamente o Brasil inteiro queima a língua. Mas desde o primeiro dia, eu apoiei o Felipão. Sabia que era possível que o Brasil fracassasse, mas isto faz parte do futebol. Sempre respeitei seu estilo sério, sem palhaçada e com muita disciplina.

Pode ser que em 6 dias, a euforia que tomou conta de Portugal hoje após o gol de Ricardo torne-se em tristeza, caso Holanda ou Suécia matem o sonho luso de levantar o caneco europeu. Mas mesmo assim, Felipão já terá deixado sua marca no futebol português - e na história do futebol europeu. Ninguém se esquecerá facilmente deste jogo.

[Century's Best]

For non-speakers of Portuguese, an English version of my post can be provided upon request.

[MIGkiller]

Looks like he has bocome a national hero in Portugal.

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fbl_eur2004_por_scolari&prov=afp&type=lgns

Scolari milks media applause


ALCOCHETE, Portugal (AFP) - Portugal's Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was under fire not so long ago in the county's media for not being one of their own.

But the hired gun who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup has clearly been belatedly accepted after leading the Portuguese to their first ever major final at Euro 2004 following the 2-1 defeat of the Netherlands on Wednesday.

[MIGkiller]

http://oglobo.globo.com/jornal/Esportes/143465736.asp

Scolari assume o legado de Oto Glória


LISBOA. Um acaba de fazer história, levando pela primeira vez Portugal à final da Eurocopa. O outro também marcou época, deixando os portugueses em terceiro lugar na Copa do Mundo de 1966. Dois treinadores e uma coisa em comum: são dois brasileiros a conseguir as maiores façanhas do futebol português. Antes de Luiz Felipe Scolari, Oto Glória dirigiu a seleção de Portugal duas vezes: a primeira em 1966, quando eliminou o Brasil e terminou em terceiro lugar, e depois na década de 80, época em que faleceu.

[moacir]

Scolari signs with FPF until the end of the WC in 2006. No chance to return to Brazil. He will be in charge of all Portuguese teams, including the juniors etc.

[MIGkiller]

http://oglobo.globo.com/fotos/040705_capa_felipao_a.jpg

http://oglobo.globo.com/online/plantao/143478106.asp

Felipão é condecorado em Portugal


LISBOA, Portugal - A derrota na final da Eurocopa 2004 por 1 a 0 diante da Grécia não abalou o prestígio do treinador brasileiro Luiz Felipe Scolari no principal mercado do futebol mundial. Nesta segunda-feira, o comandante da seleção portuguesa recebeu elogios da direção técnica da Uefa e foi condecorado pelo governo luso por levar o país ao vice-campeonato, melhor resultado nacional na história do torneio.