Scolari and other things Portuguese

I watched the Portugal-Czech Republic game on television with some interest last night, partly because I picked a Czech upset in my EURO 2008 pool, partly because I wasn't as impressed as many were by their 2-0 win versus Turkey in their tournament opener.

They had moments during that game where they looked a menacing, attacking force set on reducing the Turks to ruin. Overall, however, they simply played an efficient match, producing the result that many expected. Deco, Ronaldo and company had yet to show any of the flash that makes them the sexy choice to win the tournament.

Last night in Geneva however, the talent of Portugal rose to the top with a masterful performance by Deco, resulting in the first plaudits for Ronaldo. Yes, the young Manchester United winger looked more like the Premier League Golden Boot winner than he did against Turkey, but it was Deco who created the opportunities to shine.

The Czechs looked a better match for the Portuguese, but in the end they lack the creativity usually provided by the injured Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky. They threatened the Portuguese goal enough to lead me to think they will get the result against Turkey, but the quarterfinals is surely all they have to look forward to.

That brings us to what transpired after the match, an announcement by Chelsea that they had appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as their new manager to replace Avram Grant, who had been fired May 24.

That Portugal remains the choice source for Chelsea saviours is less than surprising -- Scolari, a native Brazilian, has done a masterful job managing Portugal. He has seamlessly moved the team from the Figo Era to the Ronaldo Era. He changes tactics to suit his chosen side and to exploit the opposition's weaknesses. Those traits will go well with the deep, diverse squad at Chelsea.

What remains to be seen is whether Scolari can cope with the media pressure placed on English club managers (reportedly he turned down the England job because he didn't want to face the cameras every day) and whether he can turn the vastness of Roman Abramovich's pile of gold into astute signings that can top the Russian's ultimate target: the European Championship.

If nothing else, Scolari will provide football fans with something Grant did not: a flamboyant, charismatic manager who will keep us wondering what he'll do next.