The Guardian, Thursday July 24, 2008


Lampard's perfect chip cheers Chelsea as Scolari era starts in China
Guangzhou 0-4 Chelsea

Dominic Fifield in Guangzhou

Luiz Felipe Scolari's refusal to rise to Sir Alex Ferguson's bait was
understandable given the Brazilian's own experience of managing teams
around the world and he will have been quietly encouraged by his new
team's display here at the Guangdong Olympic stadium yesterday.

Guangzhou Pharmaceutical may not have provided the sternest of tests
but Chelsea were slick and inventive in midfield, with Michael Essien
outstanding and Deco impressive in flashes. The visitors scored four
and struck the woodwork three times, while the sight of Frank Lampard
chipping a fine second goal from distance would also have cheered the
former Brazil and Portugal coach.

"This was a good game for us and it's always good to start with a win,
even if the team isn't playing at its best as yet," said Scolari. "We
had some difficulties, physically but that will improve. We will
become stronger. As for me, I wasn't nervous at all. I was relaxed. I
may have been manager of national teams for seven years but don't
forget that I have coached at club level for another 17 years in my
career. I need to grow the team and I need to think up new tactics for
my training sessions but that's normal."

Scolari was without Joe Cole and Andriy Shevchenko last night and,
while the midfielder should have recovered from a minor ankle knock to
play against Chengdu Blades in Macau on Saturday, the Ukrainian is
still off the pace in terms of his fitness and the manager does not
envisage him playing until next week at the earliest. The Portuguese
right-back Jose Bosingwa, meanwhile, withdrawn after 19 minutes with a
slight thigh strain, will need treatment before a decision is made on
his participation.

Lampard and Deco pulled shots wide as Chelsea completely controlled
the opening stages, with the Portugal international dominating
midfield and Bosingwa looking lively pushing forward from right-back.
Essien also drilled a shot narrowly over the bar after 14 minutes.

Chelsea forced their way ahead just after Bosingwa's departure through
Salomon Kalou's finish, the Ivorian benefiting from fine approach play
from Lampard and Deco to coast in unmarked and fire into the bottom
corner across the Guangzhou goalkeeper Li Shuai.

Guangzhou came into the game as the half progressed, to the delight of
the passionate 35,000 crowd, but Chelsea continued to create chances
as Essien was denied from close range before the Ghanaian saw a
snap-shot from outside the area saved by Li.

As half-time approached, Nicolas Anelka hit an upright from inside the
area while at the other end Petr Cech turned a free-kick from Xu Liang
on to a post.

Following five half-time changes the substitute Wayne Bridge saw his
deflected shot hit a post before Lampard showed brilliant vision to
double the lead by chipping Li from 30 yards, with the Guangzhou
goalkeeper only just outside his six-yard area.

Another of the interval substitutes, Florent Malouda, fired wide twice
in quick succession before the Argentinian teenager Franco Di Santo, a
second-half substitute, hit an upright after weaving his way through
on the edge of the area.

Lampard was one of only three visiting players - Ricardo Carvalho and
Mikel John Obi the others - to play the entire 90 minutes in the
sweltering heat and, having lobbed his side two goals up, he watched
Di Santo tap in a third before Shaun Wright-Phillips belted the final
goal three minutes from time. "The players have trained well for the
last two weeks, more fitness than technical training," Scolari said.

Indeed the unsettled Lampard captained the side from half-time having
initially linked up well with Deco in a diamond midfield anchored by
Mikel and also benefiting from Essien's energy and drive. "Frank is
training and playing very well and all the speculation around him is
just that: speculation that follows this player or that player in the
world," Scolari added.

"Until August 31 it will not go away. As for Deco, he is a fantastic
player and in this team he can sometimes help his team-mates to play
more than they did last season. He is a different kind of player, his
style is different but, with all the other players we have, it can be
fantastico."

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Telegraph:

Frank Lampard puts on a show for Luiz Felipe Scolari in Guangzhou
After a year of negotiations, months of speculation and weeks of claim
and counter-claim, Frank Lampard spent just a few seconds making his
most eloquent contract statement of the entire summer.

By Jeremy Wilson in Guangzhou


Guangzhou Yiyao (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 4

Chelsea were already leading against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in Luiz
Felipe Scolari's first match as manager when, after 50 minutes, the
ball was fed into the path of the England midfielder. Lampard had
drifted into space 25 yards from goal and, sensing that Li Shuai had
moved from his goal line, sent a delightful lob over the Chinese
goalkeeper's head.

With 110 goals during his seven years at Chelsea, the message could
not have been clearer. At the age of 30, Lampard intends to use the
pre-season tour in China to make his argument for a contract extension
until 2013.

Whether Chelsea will improve upon their four-year offer, however,
remains debatable and the club denied reports yesterday that they had
already reached agreement with Lampard on a record-breaking deal worth
£39 million over five years.

Scolari was certainly not predicting a speedy end to the saga. "Frank
is here playing very well," he said. "He is one player from our group
and the speculation is part of big speculation in the world. Until Aug
31, there will be more speculation for Chelsea than for any other
team."

Lampard's display, however, certainly suggested that his performances
would remain unaffected by any off-field uncertainty over the coming
season. It was also an encouraging first glimpse of a possible
partnership with new signing Deco, who showed all the touch, poise and
passing that might be expected of a player who has won the Champions
League with Porto and Barcelona.

With the pace of the match slowed by the heat and the limited quality
of the opposition, it would be clearly remiss to read too much into
Deco's first match for Chelsea, yet he dictated play during the early
stages as blue shirts flooded forward.

In the sixth minute, the Portugal midfielder split the defence for
Nicolas Anelka, whose shot was saved by Shuai, and he then provided a
chance for Michael Essien with another cute pass. Deco was being
employed to the right of Lampard as Scolari opted for a diamond
formation in a midfield anchored by John-Obi Mikel that placed an
emphasis on the full-backs galloping forward.

It was also Jose Bosingwa's first match for Chelsea, and he was
showing an encouraging willingness to overlap down the right before
being forced off as a precautionary measure, after only 20 minutes,
with a thigh injury.

At just 25, Bosingwa is a signing who will clearly offer youth and
energy to a squad whose age has suddenly became a major talking point.
Indeed, on a day that had begun with Sir Alex Ferguson describing
Chelsea as a team "in their 30s", it was telling that Scolari fielded
eight players in their 20s at a combined average of just under 27.

As well as Deco, Salomon Kalou shined in the absence of Didier Drogba
and eventually put Chelsea ahead when he latched on to a Lampard
through-ball midway through the first half.

There were occasional glimpses of danger from Guangzhou, not least
when the impressive Chinese international Xu Liang forced Petr Cech to
scramble a free kick clear.

Chelsea, though, could have been further ahead by the interval when,
just before half-time, Anelka fired a fierce shot against a post.

With the conditions still oppressive, Scolari made five half-time
changes. Wayne Bridge, who had replaced Ashley Cole, immediately cut
in from the left and shot against a post, before Lampard doubled the
lead with the outstanding moment of the match.

A further significant positive for Scolari was the second-half
performance of Franco Di Santo. The 19-year-old Argentine was
apparently a transfer target of Ferguson's Manchester United but
excelled in scoring seven goals in eight matches for Chelsea's
reserves last season after being signed for £3.5 million in January
from the Chilean team Audax Italiano.

Di Santo was denied by a combination of goalkeeper Shuai's knee and a
post in the 61st minute but converted Florent Malouda's cross to score
before Shaun Wright-Phillips sealed the victory with an 88th-minute
goal.

Chelsea's Asia tour continues against Chengdu Blades in Macau on
Saturday, when Joe Cole is expected to be available again following an
ankle injury. Scolari admitted that his players were somewhat off the
pace yesterday, but is confident of improvement.

"I think it's normal for the first game to be like that," he said.
"The players have been training very well for two weeks, more for
fitness than for technical training. It's always good to win the first
game, even if the team wasn't at its best as yet. We had some
difficulties physically, but that will improve."

Age and energy table

Petr Cech, age 26.
Commanding when called into action, but rarely tested by limited opponents.
Energy rating: 3/5

Jose Bosingwa, 25.
Looked to get forward and provide width down the right, but his match
was cut short by a slight thigh strain.
Energy rating: 3/5

John Terry, 27.
A comfortable evening for the captain, who rarely had to move through
the gears.
Energy rating: 3/5

Ricardo Carvalho, 30.
Completed the entire game in hot and humid conditions and was largely
untroubled.
Energy rating: 3/5

Ashley Cole, 27.
Quiet first-half. Replaced after the interval byWayne Bridge.
Energy rating: 2/5

John Obi Mikel, 21.
Taking on the 'holding role' following the exit of Claude Makelele.
Anchored midfield with ease.
Energy rating: 3/5

Deco, 31.
Made Chelsea tick in first half and enjoyed having plenty of time on the ball.
Energy rating: 3/5

Frank Lampard, 30.
Commitment remains unquestioned despite the lengthy frustrations over
his contract.
Energy rating: 4/5

Michael Essien, 25.
A bundle of energy, constantly on the move whether used as a full-back
or in midfield.
Energy rating: 4/5

Salomon Kalou, 22.
Never stopped running. Deserved his goal and was Chelsea's best player.
Energy rating: 5/5

Nicolas Anelka, 29.
Largely peripheral, though he did spring into life with one shot off the post.
Energy rating: 2/5

Luiz Felipe Scolari, 59.
Looked totally relaxed throughout and rarely even ventured to the touchline.
Energy rating: 3/5
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Times:

Frank Lampard chips in for Chelsea

Frank Lampard underlined his value to Chelsea with a spectacular
long-range lob as the Luiz Felipe Scolari era got under way with a 4-0
romp against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in China. Franco Di Santo scored
on his debut while Salomon Kalou and Shaun Wright-Phillips also
impressed the new coach in front of 30,000 fans.

Lampard scored from 20 yards before picking out Wright-Phillips with a
raking pass that travelled half the length of the field. It was the
perfect tonic for Lampard, the subject of feverish transfer
speculation, and the ideal start for Scolari as he sets about
re-stocking the Chelsea trophy cabinet. "It's always good to win the
first match, even if it doesn't matter very much," Scolari said. "The
team was relaxed, we had some problems physically but nothing we can't
sort out."

Deco, the Portugal international, made his debut alongside compatriot
Jose Bosingwa and Scolari believes the former Barcelona midfielder
will play an important part in any success this season. "I think not
only Deco, all the players have to make a difference this season
because this season will be difficult," he said. "Deco is a fantastic
player and he helps the other players to play more. He is a different
player because his style is different, but his style with the other
players is fantastic."

Bosingwa was withdrawn after just 20 minutes after making an
impressive debut in an attacking right-back role, but Chelsea have
confirmed the move was only precautionary with the former Porto
defender complaining of a minor thigh problem. Joe Cole and Andriy
Shevchenko were not included in the squad as they are short of match
fitness, but while Scolari insisted the Ukrainian will not feature in
Saturday's friendly in Macau, he admitted he was more hopeful over the
inclusion of the England midfielder.
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Mail:

Scolari opens with a win as Lampard gets on the scoresheet in Chinese stroll

Guangzhou Pharmaceutical 0 Chelsea 4

Luiz Felipe Scolari took charge of his first match with Chelsea today
and immediately set his own agenda by kicking out the old and
introducing the new.

But the Brazilian knows he is certain to have a selection headache
when Michael Ballack finally joins up with the squad. The German is
still on honeymoon after helping his country reach the final of Euro
2008 but will resume his club duties on the next leg of the tour in
Macau.

Chelsea may have won two Premier League titles during the Jose
Mourinho era and reached the Champions League Final under Avram Grant
by deploying the 4-3-3 formation, yet Scolari has shown he is not
afraid to make changes.

Here, against Chinese side Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, he made the most
of the club's abundance of midfield talent by deploying an attacking
4-1-3-2 formation.

Chelsea have arguably the strongest set of midfielders in Europe and
by abandoning the three in the middle philosophy of his predecessors,
he was allowed to put Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Deco in
advanced roles, with John Obi Mikel getting the first chance to show
he can fill the void caused by the departure of holding midfielder
Claude Makelele to Paris St-Germain.

Chelsea did not score enough last season and would have lost the title
on the final day to Manchester United on goal difference even if
Bolton hadn't snatched the late equaliser which saw them finish behind
Sir Alex Ferguson's side by two points.

Much of the blame was attributed to playing with just one striker up
front, but Scolari looks set to change all that after pairing Nicolas
Anelka with Salomon Kalou.

Anelka, for one, looked much happier to be playing in his rightful
position today having been largely deployed out wide after joining
from Bolton in January, while Kalou scored the opening goal with a
fine low finish in the 19th minute.

Overall, the Blues dominated the opener of their five-game pre-season
tour of Asia and Russia, with the only concern for Scolari seeing
summer signing Jose Bosingwa substituted after 19 minutes with a thigh
injury after a brief but impressive debut at right-back.

Scolari fielded a strong side from the start, with Deco making his
debut in midfield alongside Lampard, who played the entire game. Joe
Cole and Andriy Shevchenko were not included in the squad due to minor
injuries and Didier Drogba did not even travel to China.

Lampard and Deco pulled shots wide in the opening minutes as Chelsea
controlled the early stages with the Portugal international dominating
midfield. The visitors opened the scoring when Mikel's
defence-splitting through-ball caught the home side flat-footed,
allowing Kalou to ghost in unmarked to fire home.

Following five half-time changes, substitute Wayne Bridge saw his
deflected shot hit the post before Lampard showed brilliant vision to
double the lead by chipping Li Shuai from 30 yards, the Guangzhou
goalkeeper only just outside his six-yard area.

It was a superb strike and underlined the England player's value to
Chelsea as talks continue over his future. After Lampard's goal,
half-time substitute Florent Malouda fired wide twice in quick
succession before 19-year-old Argentine Franco Di Santo, a second-half
substitute, struck the upright after weaving his way through on the
edge of the area.

With 12 minutes remaining Frenchman Malouda broke down the left and
pulled a low cross across the face of the goal for a sliding Di Santo
to net in his first appearance for the club.

Another substitute, Shaun Wright-Phillips, who has been linked with a
move away from Stamford Bridge, then sealed the win in the dying
moments with a shot on the turn from inside the area in the closing
minutes.

It completed a gentle introduction for Scolari to life on the
touchline with Chelsea. He said: 'It's always good to win your first
match, even though this one didn't matter much. The team are relaxed,
although we have some problems physically, but nothing we can't sort
out.'

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Sun:

FRANK LAMPARD gave Phil Scolari one more compelling reason why Chelsea
should go the extra seven million quid to keep him.

If Scolari had any doubts about the value of fighting for the
unsettled England star they were dismissed within 51 minutes of his
first game as manager.


That was how long it took Lampard to underline his qualities with an
exquisite goal to make Big Phil sit up and take notice.


True, it was only against Chinese works team Guangzhou Pharmaceutical
in a sweaty pre-season friendly — which the Blues won 4-0 — designed
to flog a few more Chelsea shirts.


But it would not have made any difference whether it was Li Shuai or
Petr Cech in goal as Lampard ran unchallenged from just inside the
halfway line before planting a perfect chip over the keeper's head
from 20 yards out.


It was the sort of magic Scolari had become accustomed to when he
guided Ronaldinho and Ronaldo to World Cup glory with Brazil six years
ago.


And now he knows he has inherited another special talent in Lampard,
even if the player is still not convinced his future lies with
Scolari.


For Lamps is demanding a new five-year contract worth an eye-watering
£7million a season.


Chelsea are only offering a four-year deal to the 30-year-old midfield player.


Despite reports to the contrary, the club are sticking to their guns.


They have made their final offer and it is Lampard's decision whether
he signs it or sees out the remaining 12 months of his current deal.


It is a stand-off which Scolari could have done without as he tries to
turn Chelsea from unlucky losers into big-time winners.


Yet he has no doubts that he wants Lampard on board after watching him
like a hawk during the first few weeks of pre-season training.


Scolari said: "Frank is here with us in China and he is training and
playing very well.


"There is always a lot of speculation around Chelsea and I am sure it
will continue until August 31. But Frank is staying and that is
final."


Whether that is for 12 months or the rest of his career remains to be seen.


It was not lost on anyone in Guangzhou's Olympic Stadium that Lamps
did not kiss the badge after yesterday's goal.



Yet there was plenty more to please Scolari from his first match than
just Lampard's lob.


Michael Essien underlined his incredible potential with an awe-
inspiring display of power for the first 45 minutes against a team
which simply could not cope with him.


Deco, Scolari's £8m capture from Barcelona, was just as impressive on
the ball even if he was struggling to last the pace in the stifling
humidity here.


Scolari added: "Deco is a fantastic player and in this team he will
help his new friends to play even better than last season.


"His style is different to the others but when they are all together
it is fantastico."


It was left to Salomon Kalou to claim the honour of scoring the first
goal of the Big Phil era when he converted Jon Obi Mikel's 20th-minute
cross to the back post.


Nicolas Anelka and Wayne Bridge both struck a post before Lampard
doubled their lead as Chelsea's class began to tell.


Argentine starlet Franco Di Santo, 19, made a favourable impression in
his first Chelsea appearance, striking the woodwork before applying
the finishing touch to Florent Malouda's low cross after 78 minutes.
And even Shaun Wright-Phillips got on the scoresheet late on.


The only sour note was the departure of £16m full-back Jose Bosingwa
with a thigh strain just 20 minutes into his Chelsea bow.


But Scolari insisted it was only a precautionary measure to ensure
Bosingwa is available for the remainder of this two-week slog around
the Far East and Russia.


Scolari had almost forgotten how much fun club management was after
seven years as the national coach of Brazil then Portugal.


He said: "I was a club coach for 17 years of my life. I need to work
morning and afternoon, to grow this team and think up new tactics for
my team in training.


"It is not that different from the national team. But coaching a
national team is more political."


Not at Chelsea, Phil. Not at Chelsea.