Chelsea will be hoping that Luiz Felipe Scolari turns out to be even more special than Jose Mourinho.
Blues won't settle for second best as Scolari era starts
A new season and a new manager with a larger-than-life personality, Chelsea will be hoping that Luiz Felipe Scolari turns out to be even more special than Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho guided the Blues to back-to-back Premier League titles in his first two years at the helm but he could not land the prize that Roman Abramovich covets most - the UEFA Champions League.
He paid the price for a poor start to last term and Avram Grant somewhat surprisingly took up the reins. The Israeli almost succeeded where Mourinho had failed but Chelsea suffered heartbreak in Moscow as they lost to Manchester United on penalties in the Champions League final.
Chelsea also missed out on domestic triumph on the final day of the season, while they lost to Tottenham in the Carling Cup final and crashed out of the FA Cup to Championship minnows Barnsley.
It is hard not to feel sympathy for Grant over his sacking but it was perhaps inevitable that Chelsea would look to bring in a bigger name this summer, and it is Scolari who has been handed the poisoned chalice.
The Brazilian has been away from club management for seven years but he will not have much of a settling-in period with the message from above abundantly clear - second place is not good enough and another season without silverware will not be tolerated.
Character
In his early press conferences Scolari has not seemed fazed by the challenge ahead. A passionate and fiery character on the touchline, he has vowed to conduct himself with honour away from the pitch and not become involved in any of the mind games that his rival bosses may be interested in.
Scolari has set his sights on an unprecedented quadruple and he undoubtedly has the squad at his disposal to make that a realistic target, with Chelsea appearing to be even stronger than in recent seasons.
The one area of weakness in the last couple of years has been the right-back position, with Paulo Ferreira, Khalid Boulahrouz, Geremi, Lassana Diarra and Michael Essien all taking turns in the role.
The problem should finally be sorted following the arrival of Jose Bosingwa from Porto for £16.2million. The 25-year-old produced a series of exciting performances at Euro 2008 and will be effective going forward as well as in defence.
Bosingwa has been followed to Stamford Bridge by his Portuguese compatriot Deco, who endured a frustrating end to his Barcelona career but remains a player with the ability to decide tight matches.
The arrival of the diminutive schemer adds to the incredible wealth of talent in Chelsea's midfield and it will be intriguing to see how Scolari pieces together the puzzle of satisfying so many world-class players in one position.
Signing Deco was expected to pave the way for Frank Lampard's departure but Chelsea have managed to keep Inter Milan and their new boss, a certain Mr Mourinho, at bay.
Whether Deco, Lampard and Michael Ballack can all be accommodated in the same side is a question that can only be answered in time, and much will depend on if Scolari's vision for the future is 4-4-2 or 4-5-1.
Claude Makelele is the most high-profile player to have left Chelsea over the last couple of months but there are still options for the holding role, with John Obi Mikel determined to establish himself as a regular in the side.
Essien has operated just about everywhere but his best position is also in the centre and he is a complete midfielder who is capable of breaking up play and contributing in attack, and he should be one of the first names on the team-sheet.
Another key player is Didier Drogba, one of the most fearsome strikers on the planet and staying in London after a summer of intense speculation about a possible move away.
Nicolas Anelka has made no secret of his desire to play alongside Drogba more often this term after being asked to line up on the left at times under Grant, and it is likely that he will get the opportunity to form a potent partnership with the Ivorian over the course of the new campaign.
Tactics
However, Chelsea have grown accustomed to deploying two wingers in support of a lone front man, and Scolari used similar tactics whilst in charge f Portugal.
Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou may expect to start regularly after showing good form towards the end of last season, but Shaun Wright-Phillips will again be pushing hard for a place and Scolari has also indicated that he wants Florent Malouda to recapture the confidence and swagger that made Chelsea pay big money for him just 12 months ago.
Scolari is a shrewd tactician and will realise that he has to rotate his front six to sustain Chelsea's challenge both in Europe and at home, and he will be flexible when it comes to formations.
Selecting his back four will be much more straightforward and it is a solid defensive foundation that Chelsea have based their success on since Mourinho came to the club in 2004.
John Terry will once again skipper the side and his strength of character should allow him to bounce back from the misery of his penalty miss against Manchester United, while Ricardo Carvalho has been consistently excellent alongside him for years.
Ashley Cole came in for criticism last season following his despicable reaction to being yellow carded by Mike Riley in the 4-4 draw with Tottenham, but he will be hoping to prove that, like Bosingwa, he is still one of the finest full-backs in world.
Abramovich is keen to see entertaining, free-flowing football and some Brazilian flair on the field would fit the bill, but Chelsea have not been able to bring in either Kaka or Robinho and it will be left to Scolari to get his team to play in a more open manner.
Most fans would nevertheless prefer trophies over tricks, and Scolari could be the man to end Manchester United's two-year reign at the top of the Premier League and steer Chelsea to that elusive European victory.
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