It is unlikely that Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, will do a Roy Keane and walk away from his club. Yet even the resilient Brazilian, it would seem, is starting to feel the heat in the Barclays Premier League. In an intriguing insight into the manager’s mentality, Ray Wilkins, his assistant, has revealed that the daily grind of English football has left the Brazilian “tired”.

“His mood is very good,” Wilkins said. “But he’s bound to feel pressure. We are in a pressure business and we have to get results. Felipe is no exception. He’s won a World Cup with Brazil, but the pressure still comes upon managers.

“When you’re speaking in a foreign language day after day, it’s not easy and he does get quite tired. I think sometimes he gets extremely tired. But I can assure you that his spirit is extremely high.”

Wilkins deputised for Scolari at the postmatch press conference after Chelsea’s 2-0 win away to Bolton on Saturday. “Unfortunately, today you’ve got the B team,” Wilkins said. “But trust me, he’ll be back.” However, Wilkins did admit that he had noticed that Scolari appeared jaded. “I saw a little bit of tiredness in him today, facially,” he said. “He wants to win, he’s a winner, and that pressure will come on when you put it upon yourself to keep winning. That’s what he is, a perfectionist.’

“You tell your mate, ‘You’re tired.’ Or you say, ‘You look a bit tired, Phil. Are you OK?’ And he said: ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ He’s in good spirits but it will get to you every now and again. That’s a fact of life. I’m sure that if Felipe is looking a tad tired today, others are looking a damn sight worse.

“Every game we play is like a European Cup final. The biggest thing that Felipe has noticed since taking over is that there’s not one or two games where you might be able to say, ‘I might get three points there.’ Every game we have to organise ourselves meticulously. That’s exactly what he does and it takes it out of you.”

The fluid and feisty nature of Chelsea’s victory – only their third in eight matches – at the Reebok Stadium will have encouraged Scolari. He has, though, had to contend with reports of unrest among his players about the apparent lack of intensity in training and is said to be at odds with Roman Abramovich, the club owner, over transfer policy.

Scolari is keen to sign “one or two” players, including a striker, in the January window but Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, has said that there will be “little or no activity” next month. In recent weeks, close observers claim to have detected a tetchiness in the former Portugal coach.

Wilkins attempted to defuse the accusations of lacklustre training sessions. “The training they [the players] do is first-class,” he said. “They love it, they enjoy it and you could see today that they don’t need anything more intense. They’ve been well up for every game they’ve played.

“There is certainly no dissent within the camp, none whatsoever. If you’re looking at that angle, then that team today might have fallen apart. You can’t perform like that if there is dissent about. The spirit and application of the guys was different class.”

Addressing Scolari’s desire for new recruits, Wilkins said: “I’m sure if something can happen in January, then Felipe would like that. But if it doesn’t, you look at our squad and, when it’s fully fit, it’s as good as anyone’s in the Premier League.”

A fully rested Scolari will be on display today at a press conference for the Champions League group A match against CFR Cluj, the Romanian club, at Stamford Bridge tomorrow night. The rules of the competition decree that Scolari must attend.