Carlo Ancelotti taking over at Chelsea was the worst-kept secret in football and, now he’s there, he will be putting his reputation on the line.
He won the Champions League twice with Milan but, just as Luiz Felipe Scolari arrived as a World Cup-winning coach, that will count for nothing now.
They key to Guus Hiddink’s success at Stamford Bridge was his ability to bring everyone at the club together.
You can’t say at this stage whether Ancelotti will be able to maintain that unity. It’s a real shame for me that Hiddink has gone as there are no guarantees that Ancelotti can adapt.
It’s all about getting the players to play for him and work with him. Every manager has a different way of dealing with egos and, while Scolari was unable to sort things out, Hiddink got it bang on.
Language is another factor. Ancelotti’s already conducted an interview in English but it looks far from perfect right now and he will need to learn it fast because you have to be able to communicate.
Hiddink was obviously an all-round class act, but one of his best qualities was his ability to communicate with both the players and the media.
He handled the media very, very well. He was brilliant in the way he batted things away. Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez became involved in a major spat, but Hiddink just held court and kept himself out of it.
It will be important for Ancelotti to do the same. Having worked as a coach in Italy, he will have great experience of dealing with the media as it can be horrendous out there, but he needs to get to grips with the language as soon as possible.
He’s in the same situation as Fabio Capello was really, and speaking fluent English will definitely be part of his remit.
It’ll be interesting to see how much money they spend this summer, too.
After missing out on Robinho, Scolari had to make do with just two significant signings – Deco and Jose Bosingwa – but it looks like Roman Abramovich could be ready to get the chequebook out again this summer.
Ancelotti’s said he might want to bring some of his Milan players with him and maybe his relationship with those stars was a consideration in his appointment – he’ll certainly have a blueprint for what he needs to take the club forwards and have spoken to Abramovich about targets.
There will be plenty of competition in the market this summer and Manchester City have a great advantage given their wealth, but they’re still building a team and most players would prefer to go to Chelsea to give themselves the best chance of winning trophies.
Even if Ancelotti’s ability to attract players did play a part in his appointment, though, it’s his CV that got him the job: he has a strong track record and will be expected to provide a strong challenge for both the Champions League and Premier League.