Scolari inspires Palmeiras and leaves behind 7-1
SAO PAULO (AP) – It was in the middle of the summer night in July in Cascais, a Portuguese town on the coast, when the mobile phone from Luiz Felipe Scolari went.
His first thought was that one of his children might be in trouble. Instead, it was an invitation to come home.
Back to Brazil.
"In the beginning I was a bit scared," Scolari said in August at his introduction in Palmeiras, the club of Sao Paulo which he led in 1999 to their only South American crown. "I was talking to other national federations, but I went back to bed and I could not sleep, and now I'm happy to be here. & # 39;
Scolari left Brazil in 2014, in disgrace. He was national coach of the national team when it was eliminated 7-1 in the semi-final of the World Cup in Brazil that year. The coach known as Big Phil moved to China shortly after the debacle and promised to avoid Brazil as long as possible.
Palmeiras was looking for the 69-year-old Scolari because it was in trouble. A team with some of the best players in South America, including winger Dudu, midfielder Lucas Lima and Colombia striker Miguel Borja, stayed behind in sixth place in the Brazilian championship and struggled in the Copa Libertadores.
Coach Roger Machado, who played in Gremio in the 1990s under Scolari, was fired by the same manager who called Scolari in the middle of the night. Palmeiras fans were happy with the return of Big Phil. Opponents were also happy; they thought the movement was doomed to fail.
Scolari made the defense of Palmeiras more reliable with Luan and Gustavo Gomez. Lucas Lima, a reservation under Machado, got more minutes. Striker Deyverson, who was considered too unstable, became a safe option when Borja had a bad day.
With 10 games to go in the Brazilian championship, Palmeiras leads with three points, and sits in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores against Boca Juniors. Scolari and Palmeira have nothing to do with the Brazilian cup, where they were stopped in the semi-finals.
This weekend, Palmeiras plays fifth place Gremio, Scolari & # 39; s youth club, a team that is also part of the semi-finals of Copa Libertadores. The coach said: "It is probably one of the hardest games we have until the end of the Brazilian championship."
In other words, Scolari is right where he wants to be.
DYBALA IN SHAPE
When Argentina beat Iraq 4-0 in an exhibition game on Thursday, striker Paulo Dybala showed that he deserves to be part of the national team, despite his comments on how difficult it is to play with Lionel Messi.
Dybala was part of the first two goals that earned him from his country's media – a rare feature since he criticized Messi. Interim coach Lionel Scaloni does not count on the return of Messi until the end of his tenure, expected in January.
But the Argentinean media usually agree that it is inevitable that the next coach should find room for Messi and Dybala.
On Tuesday, Dybala and Argentina take on Brazil in another friend in Saudi Arabia.
TABAREZ DEFEAT
Oscar Tabarez started his fifth period as coach of Uruguay with loss to South Korea. It was the first time that Tabarez lost his first game in a new cycle. He blamed physical fitness for the 2-1 defeat in Seoul.
The Uruguayans then play in another friendly game against Japan on Tuesday.
Argentina and Uruguay are preparing for next year's Copa America in Brazil.
OSORIO TO COLOMBIA?
Former coach Mexico Juan Carlos Osorio is the target of Colombian football drivers. After Colombia beat the United States 4-2 in a friendly match on Thursday, director Alvaro Gonzalez admitted that he had spoken with Osorio.
"We talked because we are friends, we did not talk about the national team," Gonzalez said.
The director said he preferred to sign a Colombian coach for the team, which was good for Osorio's business, but believed that such a move would not take place until next year.
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