Although many insiders believe there is little real prospect of the World Cup winning coach leaving Stamford Bridge despite fans' disgruntlement, there is plenty that needs to be put right if Chelsea are to end the season basking in the sunlight.
The confusion in west London though, is not just centred on what tactics 60-year-old Scolari should employ and who might actually be playing for or leaving the team.
Off the field there are continuing, unsettling rumours about whether Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the man who has bankrolled the club's most successful period since their formation in 1905, is still in love with the boys in blue.
The serious questions about Scolari concern his training routines, his tinkering with his defensive formation and his relationship with the players.
An honest and open man, club sources said this week that things had never been quite the same at Chelsea since the departure of his long-serving and popular assistant coach Steve Clarke to West Ham United in September.
Clarke's "arm around the shoulder" approach to solving problems is in contrast to Scolari who openly queried some of his players' commitment this week, while also taking his share of the blame for their poor form.
In return, senior players have openly questioned his training methods and clearly, in the early stages against Southend on Wednesday, were not coping with his newly employed zonal marking plan when they went a goal down and were lucky not to trail 2-0 before winning 4-1.
However, just four defeats in his first 31 matches in charge hint he might be getting something right -- even though Chelsea have looked a pale shadow of themselves recently.
For all of their woes though, they are still third in the Premier League, only four points behind leaders Liverpool with 17 games to play.
They are also into the last 16 of the Champions League with an intriguing tie against Juventus, coached by their old boss Claudio Ranieri, and into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
CALM EYE
Scolari -- unlike his old confrontational self -- is almost the calm eye at the centre of the British media storm that has engulfed Stamford Bridge -- one that could well just turn out to be nothing more than a storm in a Brazilian coffee cup.
Yes, Scolari publicly castigated his players after their 3-0 loss at Manchester United on Sunday, and yes, he has been unable to stop a run of disappointing performances, especially at home.
But Scolari, who had coached for 25 years in Brazil, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Portugal before coming to England, is not suddenly floundering now.
He reinforced his authority by dropping one-time golden boy Didier Drogba from the squad for the game at Southend after a run of indifferent performances.
Strong managers do that, not weak ones, and Scolari is a long way from weak.
CHELSEA APPRECIATED
