Graphic: Deco wide of the mark

Luiz Felipe Scolari may have retreated into temporary silence for fear of getting into trouble with the FA, but the Chelsea manager will be unable to hide from Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner. The Russian watched Monday’s goalless draw away to Everton on his yacht and is unlikely to have been impressed with what he saw, even given the mitigating circumstances after John Terry’s dismissal.

Abramovich has been kept closely in touch with events through the eyes and ears of Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, and Eugene Tenenbaum, a key director, despite missing several matches recently and will have many questions for Scolari. Given Abramovich’s record of hiring and firing managers, he would be advised to answer the following queries in full.

Where’s your bottle?

Scolari was recruited to bring the beautiful game to Stamford Bridge — “Barcelona in blue shirts” is repeatedly said to be Abramovich’s vision for Chelsea — but appears to have lost his sense of adventure after establishing an attractive passing style in his first few months in the job. José Mourinho, for all his inherent pragmatism, would never let matches drift in the manner that Scolari has recently and would rather risk losing a game by throwing men forward in the hope of a win than settle for a point.

Although hamstrung by the loss of Terry, his captain, Scolari’s substitutions against Everton can be questioned, the conservative option of replacing Joe Cole with Branislav Ivanovic, the defender, at half-time arguably costing Chelsea. Everton had no recognised striker, so it is doubtful whether two centre backs were required to cope with the threat of Tim Cahill, particularly given that John Obi Mikel was available to drop back from midfield when necessary. Mourinho almost certainly would have switched to three at the back at some stage and thrown on more forwards.

What happened to Plan B?

As with Baldrick’s, many of Scolari’s plans seem to be the same, and not all of them are particularly cunning. The Brazilian is a master of the like-for-like substitution, Nicolas Anelka rotating with Didier Drogba while Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda take it in turns to come on for Joe Cole, but appears extremely reluctant to deviate from his favoured formation, with Mikel, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard operating in midfield behind a central striker. Scolari is largely using the same tactics that brought Brazil the World Cup six years ago, but needs to have a rethink because there is not the same depth of quality available to him.

What do you do in training?

There have been mutterings of discontent over some of Scolari’s methods — too much running and an absence of high-intensity ball-work, it is alleged — and the manager acknowledges that not everything has gone to plan on the training pitch. Scolari spent much of last week working on a strike partnership between Anelka and Drogba, but felt they were not combining properly and did not play them together against Everton. Scolari may be struggling to adapt to the limited time he has to work with his players between games in the relentless Barclays Premier League after seven years of being afforded more thought on the international scene.

What is it about Deco?

Mourinho famously had nine so-called untouchables, whereas Scolari seems content to rely on a single one. The Portugal midfield player’s performances have steadily slipped after a spectacular start but he remains one of the few almost guaranteed to play the full 90 minutes, staying the course on 14 of his 19 appearances compared with a survival rate of one in 15 for Joe Cole. Irrespective of whether Scolari is giving him preferential treatment, it is easy to see why such allegations are being made. Deco is not helped by being played out of position on the flanks, but that does not justify his woefully uninterested performance at Goodison Park.

Why should you have more money?

Scolari deserves some sympathy because the purse strings have been cut, with the present Chelsea project not the one he signed up to. He has bought only two players since arriving in the summer, but given the limited impact of Deco and Mineiro, who has appeared for 15 minutes in the Premier League, Abramovich’s reticence to spend is equally understandable.

Are the players behind you?

All footballers moan when things are not going their way, especially when they are being criticised, but the Chelsea players remain squarely behind Scolari despite the odd grievance. Other than Drogba, a lack of commitment is not the problem, as was demonstrated by the aggression shown against Everton. Scolari commands far more respect in the dressing-room than Avram Grant, his predecessor, ever did, but only a series of convincing wins can restore Scolari’s sheen in the eyes of Abramovich.