LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI behaved like an anxious parent after qualification for the Champions League knock-out phase had been achieved. The Chelsea manager might have been fearful of sibling squabbles.
He did not dare allow Didier Drogba all the attention after the Ivorian, back from injury, had come on to score the winner against Cluj.
"Nicolas Anelka is the player whose goals have put us second in the Premier League," said Scolari.
These players may prove to be rivals more than partners. They are yet to start a match together under the Brazilian, and when Drogba was introduced on Tuesday, Anelka had to take up a deeper role. Joe Cole, whose pass set up the decider, was the real foil for the substitute.
Tactical thoughts of that sort had been in circulation before Scolari arrived.
In last season's English League Cup final against Tottenham, Drogba was at centre forward, with Avram Grant playing Anelka on the left. A pairing of forwards who genuinely operate in tandem is rare: the Portsmouth combination of Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe is as evocative of times gone by as Fratton Park itself.
It is normal to see arrangements in which one player links with the midfield and tries to be a creator, as Robbie Keane did so effectively for Liverpool in Eindhoven. There can also be sophistication in the use of a lone striker.
Ronaldo, indeed, was ostensibly on his own for Scolari in Brazil's World Cup-winning line-up of 2002. That simply licensed footballers such as Ronaldinho and Rivaldo to be elusively imaginative from deep positions.
But clubs like Chelsea which aspire to the Premier League title must have men who can force the issue. Sorrows at Stamford Bridge, where Liverpool and Arsenal have taken full points, showed a lack of fire-power in Scolari's side when the visitors felt no requirement to advance and leave gaps in their ranks. It is no coincidence nine of Anelka's 15 goals in this campaign have come in away matches. Home teams are under an obligation to take the initiative, even if Chelsea then enjoy some scope.
Anelka, operating in isolation, is often contained until the match opens out. Just three of his goals this season have been the opener, at Blackburn, Bordeaux and Bolton. Should Chelsea really wish to dominate, they must consider letting Drogba and Anelka go about their work in the traditional manner, although Scolari will worry that, with the exception of the full-backs who are already receiving close attention, he has insufficient speed and width to supply two outright strikers.
It is still enticing to think of the mayhem a fully fit Drogba could cause and the opportunities that would arise.
"He has big, big quality, especially at home," said the midfielder Michael Ballack, "because teams defend very deep and close things up in the middle. He needs one chance and he makes the difference. We are happy that he is back."
Ballack joined in the view that Chelsea must improve if they are to return to a Champions League final. Drogba alone is an instant upgrade. There barely seems to be another attacker with his pace, power, touch and ability, in equal measure, on the ground or in the air. He can be the target man or, as he was on Tuesday, the finisher who infiltrates a back four. Anelka should find him the perfect foil.
The onus is on Scolari. Will the manager let loose the complementary Drogba and Anelka as outright attackers? He would be taking a risk, but the opposition would feel exposed to a greater danger.
• Guardian Service
