Luis Felipe Scolari and Nicolas Anelka were involved in a bust-up in training before the game at Old Trafford.

The Sun reported that the pair got into a heated row when Scolari told Anelka that he would start against Manchester United only if he agreed to play on the left.

With Anelka already feeling sore about being left out in the last few games with Didier Drogba taking his place, the Frenchman refused to accept the decision and demanded to start upfront.

Scolari is beginning to feel the heat with players starting to wonder if the Brazilian's coaching style works.

A Chelsea insider said: "Nothing is going right at the moment and there are suddenly a lot of questions being asked about Mr Scolari's management style."

Even the Chelsea board is losing faith and his range of fines and disciplinary measures have annoyed everyone at the club.

Scolari made things worse when he said after the match, "There are two options. Either I stick with the players and they raise themselves or I try different players."

Tension is certainly on the rise in London.