Scolari praises Wenger ahead of derby match.
Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari described Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger on Friday as one of the top five managers in football and said he was relishing the prospect of their first Premier League clash in a London derby match on Sunday.
Speaking before training, the Brazilian said the coaches had been friends for more than a decade and, although Arsenal trailed Chelsea by 10 points, the north London club could not be discounted in the championship.
“I play this game against one of the men I like very much. I have known Arsene 10 or 12 years now. I met him in Japan and we are big friends.
“I like him as a coach and I think if I chose five coaches in the world he is one among the five. His team play good football. It’s very difficult to win because they play beautiful football.”
Asked if Chelsea beat Arsenal his friend’s title chances would be over, Scolari replied that after arriving at Chelsea last July he had studied the results of the previous season when Manchester United came from behind to win.
“Here in England you never say I am champion before the last game,” he said.
“Even if you’re 15 points clear with five games to go, you’re not champions. You’re only champions at the end of the last game.”
Besides long-term injury absentee Michael Essien, Scolari will be missing Didier Drogba, suspended for throwing a coin back into a crowd of visiting Burnley supporters earlier this month, fellow-striker Franco Di Santo, Brazilian utility player Juliano Belletti and centre back Ricardo Carvalho.
Scolari said England winger Joe Cole who suffered a knock during Chelsea’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Bordeaux last Wednesday was in the squad.
“He feels something but in his mind he wants to play so he will stand some pain,” the Brazilian said.
Scolari, irritable after Chelsea’s woeful performance against Bordeaux, was more upbeat on Friday, saying it had been one chance in 100 that an opponent scored from a corner against his side.
“One mistake one time, I need to accept this,” he said.
Chelsea dropped to second in the group after the game a point behind Roma with one game to go against Romania’s Cluj.
“The result is bad for us but we are in London against Cluj. Win and we are first or second,” he said.
The Brazilian also said he had been joking when he suggested he should pack his bags and return home if his side lost the Cluj game.
“It was a joke that’s my style. Don’t think I am not happy. I’m very happy here,” he said.
