'There Were Too Many Mistakes,' Says Scolari the Perfectionist

Chelsea have taken the first step towards exorcising painful memories of Moscow though, in rampant victory, it was the perfectionist in Luiz Felipe Scolari that surfaced. Even this stroll did not induce any sense of satisfaction. "There were too many mistakes and we didn't play very well," grumbled the Brazilian. Europe take note: this team's best has yet to come.

Bordeaux departed for France thankful that they had been spared the thrashing their abject display deserved. Had Chelsea been slicker, or at least cut out the occasional bouts of sloppiness that surrendered possession too readily after the interval, then they might have rattled up a cricket score. As it was, the hosts curtailed the show-boating and found their range twice in the last eight minutes to give the scoreline a more appropriate feel.

Scolari said he was "pleased" with his players afterwards and will give them today off but his dissatisfaction had been expressed in the dressing room after the final whistle. "Look, it is an important win and it means we have started well, but we know we didn't play well," he said. "We made far too many mistakes when we had the ball. When you're 2-0 up at half-time in the Champions League, you have to work harder. You need to control the game more. But we didn't control it very well in the second half.

"The players wanted to make more goals but, if you are sloppy, you give your opponents opportunities. I know Bordeaux only had two shots, but they had more time with the ball than us. We have the experience to know better. Against a better team, we might have been punished. Other teams might have attacked us quicker and hurt us. If they'd had more quality, it would have been dangerous for us."

As it was, Roman Abramovich strode around the pitch an hour after the final whistle content that the first step has been taken towards Rome and redemption. A year ago, the Chelsea owner had left this arena after the first group game, an embarrassing draw with Rosenborg salvaged by Andriy Shevchenko, contemplating the imminent sacking of Jose Mourinho. Scolari, content or not, can rest easy that there will be no repeat.

Possession may have been frittered away too easily, but there were aspects to please the hosts. Florent Malouda was a constant menace down the Chelsea left, reveling re-establishing his reputation against his compatriots, while Jose Bosingwa had the freedom of the right.

The woodwork quivered twice in the latter stages and there was an 18th European goal from Frank Lampard to savor, hoisting the midfielder up alongside Didier Drogba as the club's most prolific in continental competition.

"We wanted to start well - we didn't last year and it made it more difficult for us," said Lampard. "The start of the second half was not so good but we came through well. I'm playing well and scoring goals and I'm part of a good team. It's enjoyable playing in this team."

Rather that than laboring against them. This was a first Champions League game for Laurent Blanc, and further evidence that the usual suspects - certainly the English clubs - should negotiate safe passage into the knock-out phase of the competition. "We should have given a better account of ourselves," said the former Manchester United defender. "We showed them too much respect and were too timid.

"Given the height we've got in our team, we shouldn't be conceding headed goals to Joe Cole, who's hardly the tallest player on the pitch. I felt a little bit let down. We were too mediocre, our mental approach was all wrong. There was no aggression to our play and we lost individual battles all over the pitch."

Blanc will have been dismayed byCFR Cluj's victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, a result which appears to jeopardize Les Girondins' chances of even finishing as group runners-up. For Chelsea, the focus remains entirely on improvement.