Scolari Defends Asian Tour

Blues Caoch Luiz Felipe Scolari has defended the pre-season tour of Asia, which if reports are to be believed, caused unrest among players. The players are said to be unhappy with the conditions in which they are made to play, which in turn means that they are not happy with the selection of Asia as venue for a pre-season tour. The Chelsea boss said in an interview that the decision to tour Asia was a good one and added that he, and his squad are happy with the proceedings.

In an interview, in which Scolari let out his charm and made the journalists laugh at every facial expression he made, he indicated that he feared press conferences only and had no problems with training, pre-season matches and all game related activities. "Before I go to sleep... I think.....ohh....tomorrow press conference", Scolari conveyed his message using all the English he could conjure and a lot of facial expressions and gestures. Scolari's press conferences thus far has been in sharp contrast with that of his predecessor Grant, who had no facial expression at all. Scolari said he feared the press, in a humorous way.

After the tour of Asia, when the players return, it is likely that Lampard will be offered the 5-year deal he wanted. Now the only question that remains is whether Frank will sign the deal. Some reports also suggest that Inter, who have completed the signing of Muntari from Pompeys, is no longer interested in Frank. Maybe the news that Frank will be offered a new deal dissuaded Mourinho. But even ‘senior executives’ inside Stamford Bridge are starting to wonder if the ‘negotiations’ are a bit of a smokescreen, and if Lampard had no intentions of signing the deal from the beginning itself. Meanwhile Drogba has announced that he will decide his future in the coming week, he stressed the fact that he missed the pre-season tour due to injury alone. Since Pompeys have the money they got from Muntari deal, it is expected that they will bid for Wright-Phillips, even though Scolari recently announced he is going nowhere.

But Chelsea Chief Kenyon admitted that Chelsea were not any closer to knowing whether Frank Lampard would be staying or leaving, though he is confident the midfielder will remain at Stamford Bridge. Kenyon also spoke about how players should respect their contracts more. He believes that in every level of football, contracts should be honoured and players should not agitate and walk away as and when they feel. He added that it is vital from the coach's point of view, who has to plan for the future, and also from the fans' point of view. Kenyon also added that the Premier League's proposal for one round of matches to be played in selected overseas venues should not be rejected out of hand given the League's global popularity and the huge television income generated.