Portugal's coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Scolari will take charge at Chelsea on July 1. - file

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland (AP):

IT'S GOOD that Luiz Felipe Scolari is no stranger to pressure, considering that his next coaching job will be at Chelsea.

The Portugal coach will step down after the European Cham-pionship to move into a high-profile role at the Blues in his already successful career.

Scolari will return to club football after seven years as the coach of Portugal and Brazil. He won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil and led Portugal to the Euro 2004 final and the 2006 World Cup semi-finals. The Portuguese are already in the quarter-finals at Euro 2008.

Outstanding choice

His next task will be to win the Champions League, the much-coveted title that Chelsea are missing.

"Scolari is upbeat, he is excited with the chance to coach Chelsea after the Euro," Scolari's spokesman, Acaz Fellegger, said yesterday.

The pressure will certainly be there, but Scolari may just be the right man to handle it. Nearly everywhere he has coached, Scolari has dealt with high expectations and widespread criticism for his style of coaching.

"He gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours," Chelsea said on its website. "He was the outstanding choice."

Prepared for anything

Scolari endured criticism from the tough Brazilian fans before the 2002 World Cup, becoming an unpopular figure after declining to call up striker Romario. And he was even criticised at club level for the boring style of his teams, which often won titles without being known for entertaining play.

The British media is certain to give the 59-year-old Scolari a hard time the first time he falters at Chelsea.

"I'm a professional," Scolari has said. "I lived and I can live anywhere in the world. I have to be prepared for anything."

Scolari will replace Avram Grant, who was fired after the Blues finished second to Man-chester United in the Premier League, lost the Champions League final to the same oppo-nents, and was beaten by Totten-ham in the English League Cup final.

Boosting teams with tactics

Scolari worked in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before returning to lead Criciuma to the 1991 Brazilian Cup. He also coached in Japan, but it was with Brazilian teams Gremio and Palmeiras that he won the Copa Libertadores. His last club job before coaching Brazil was with Cruzeiro in 2000.

The Brazilian joined Portugal after the 2002 World Cup and immediately improved the team, which was talented and enter-taining before, but never had any significant results.

"Scolari is an ace when it comes to tactics," Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo said.

Will be missed

The coach renewed his contract with Portugal after Euro 2004 despite offers from top clubs and national teams. England tried to hire him, and even Brazil wanted him back after the team was eliminated in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals.

Scolari will join Portugal players Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and the recently signed José Bosingwa at Chelsea.

"We like working with Scolari, and, of course, we will be sad when he leaves," Portugal defender Fernando Meira said. "We will have him until June 30. His departure won't affect the national team because we all want to go as far as possible."