Scolari plans Chelsea style makeover after stalemate

Luiz Felipe Scolari admits he must overhaul Chelsea's approach to home games after they suffered yet more frustration with a 0-0 draw against Newcastle.

The west Londoners remain top of the English Premier League thanks to Liverpool's failure to beat Fulham on Saturday, but that will be scant consolation to Scolari, whose record at Stamford Bridge is anything but title-winning material.

Chelsea have now dropped nine points on their own turf this season – three draws against Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle, and last month's defeat to Liverpool – and it is only their remarkable away form which has prevented the Merseysiders pulling clear at the summit.

Once again there was frustration here, with Newcastle packing men behind the ball and squeezing the space Chelsea need to thrive.

They did it expertly: Chelsea had 70 per cent of possession and 24 efforts at goal and yet Shay Given was only forced to make one save of note, the Ireland goalkeeper beating away Frank Lampard's header in the eighth minute.

There were other sporadic moments of concern for the visitors – Joe Cole saw a 54th-minute strike ruled out for offside, while Given came perilously close to carrying Lampard's speculative free-kick over the line – but ultimately they held on quite comfortably, with Stamford Bridge half-empty by the time the final whistle sounded.

One of Scolari's predecessors would have bemoaned opponents “parking the bus” in their own goal in a bid to claim a point, but the Brazilian was rather more fulsome in his praise than Jose Mourinho.

“Newcastle were very good – fantastic,” he said. “They played for a draw and they were right, one million per cent.

“They didn't play for a win but they were better than us because they played for a draw, and they got it whereas we played for a win and we only drew.

“It was a tactic and it worked very well. We didn't produce the quality and we lost two points.

“Now we have to go back to training. We need to change the positions of some of the players and I have to do my best to tell the players that, when teams play with 10 back, we just need to create one situation of quality to break them down.

“The home form is my mistake and the mistake of my team. Sometimes winning away is easier than at home because the fans pressure their teams to attack at their own grounds.

“They don't do that at Stamford Bridge so we need to find a way to break them down.”

Scolari's hopes of landing a killer blow here might have been boosted by the presence of Didier Drogba, whose ability to pluck crucial goals is more honed than Nicolas Anelka, who was rankly ineffective against the Tynesiders.

At least the Ivorian – suspended here after his bout of coin-throwing against Burnley – will be welcomed back for the Champions League tie against Bordeaux on Wednesday.

“We didn't have Didier here but we are a team – it's not just down to one player,” Scolari added, with a hint of exasperation. “Didier Drogba is not the only player in my team.”

Joe Kinnear, the interim Newcastle manager, made no apology for his side's conservative approach and admitted this point “felt like a victory”.

The Irishman also revealed his rolling contract with the St James' Park had been extended by another month, taking him to the opening of the January transfer window, and that owner Mike Ashley had held talks with an American consortium over a possible takeover.

“Mike told me he has held talks with some Americans but their offer was well below his estimation of what the club is worth,” he said. “Hopefully I will be able to do some business in the January transfer window.

“There will be some departures of fringe players and if we can replace them with better quality players, the squad will be better overall.”