Luiz Felipe Scolari's fall from World Cup winner to Premier League flop reached its lowest point on Monday when he was fired by Chelsea. Unable to find a solution to Chelsea's slide to fourth place and seven points behind Manchester United in the title race, the man who stood at the peak of the game when he led to Brazil to its fifth World Cup title in 2002 was out of a job only seven months after he took over at Stamford Bridge. “I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked for Chelsea and in English football. It was a very valuable experience,” he said. “I am sorry that my time with everyone could not last longer. I wish Chelsea luck in the three competitions it is participating. I want to take the opportunity to inform that I will keep living in London.” While that may suggest Scolari is looking for another job in English football, his time at Chelsea has come to an end. “Unfortunately, the results and performances of the team appeared to be deteriorating at a key time in the season,” Chelsea, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, said in a statement on its website. “In order to maintain a challenge for the trophies we are still competing for we felt the only option was to make the change now.” Only 13 games are left to make up the deficit and United also holds a game in hand. That is another grim statistic for Abramovich and Chelsea's chances of winning the title back from the Red Devils look slim. The pressure had been mounting on Scolari before the Blues were held at home by Hull on Saturday. During that game, some fans chanted “You don't know what you're doing” when Scolari made substitutions, and the team was booed off the field at the end. A banner in the crowd called for Zola and former player Roberto Di Matteo, now manager of Milton Keynes Dons, to replace Scolari. Former Chelsea midfielder and manager John Hollins said Scolari, despite his success on the international stage, failed to master club footbaal management in England. “You can't knock him for what he's done internationally but club football is a different ball game,” said Hollins, who managed the club from 1985-88. “I feel he couldn't adapt to the every day thing (of club management). Internationally he's had time to look at a game and pick a team but (Chelsea) is instant.”
