By appointing Carlo Ancelotti as their fifth manager in under two years, Chelsea have sent out a clear message of intent: forget everything else, European glory is what we are after.

Since Roman Abramovich bought the club six years ago he has seen his side suffer from what can only be described as a Champions League jinx - losing no less than four semi-finals, and one final when that John Terry slip cost them dearly.

The former Milan boss arrives at Stamford Bridge with fantastic European pedigree, having won the elusive trophy three times as a player and twice as a manager. And there can be no doubt that his primary brief is to bring home that piece of missing silverware.

In fact, the 49-year-old Italian was saying as much within minutes of arriving in London, publicly declaring that his number one priority was winning the Champions League.

Words which were, I am sure, music to the well-manicured ears of Abramovich.

However, I think Ancelotti brings something else to the table aside from his European record. Something that is equally, if not more important to the club's owner. And that is pretty football.

Jose Mourinho's biggest drawback, aside from his failure to conquer Europe and his staggering ego, was that the football his team were serving up was rarely pleasing to the eye. Effective and passionate, yes. But hardly sexy football.

The question is, will Ancelotti be able to translate a style that has been relatively successful in Milan into one that can work for Chelsea?

The chances are, yes. But not with the raw materials he currently has at his disposal.

Because there is one big difference between the respective squads: flair. While at the San Siro his teams had an abundance of it, at Stamford Bridge it is in shorter supply than Gordon Brown allies.

There is no doubting the quality and ability of players like Lampard, Ballack and Essien. But equally, there is no Kaka or Ronaldinho to add that spark of creative genius.

Florent Malouda was about as creative as it got for Chelsea last season, especially with the long term injury to the team's only other creative outlet, Joe Cole. And, even with those two fully fit, that leaves them well short of the resources Ancelotti would need to properly implement his style of play.

That's why it is no surprise to me that Chelsea entered the race to sign Kaka if, that is, Silvio Berlusconi decides to cash in on his prized asset. But people would think Kaka is an 18-year-old female student the way Berlusconi refuses to let him go.

Another name linked with the new regime is Frank Ribery, a player who can add a bit of magic to the side, although you would have to be a few sandwiches short of a picnic to believe he alone would be enough.

Aside from recruiting the right players to get Chelsea ticking, there is another factor Ancelotti will need and this is one that seems to be in ever shorter supply at Stamford Bridge these days - patience.

In the past 22 months the club has changed managers like most people change underwear. It's hard to expect any manager to impose himself on a team and get them playing his brand of football when he is constantly worrying about getting the sack.

I still stand by my assertion that Scolari would have eventually got things right if he had been given enough time. Avram Grant too was unceremoniously disposed of after less than a season, despite coming within a whisker of securing that elusive Champions League trophy.

Abramovich's greed for European glory has essentially turned Chelsea into the new Real Madrid, where anything other than a treble is classed as a failure and rewarded with dismissal.

What happens if, with Ancelotti's rebuilding and rebranding exercise still a work-in-progress, Chelsea fail at the group stage in this year's competition? Will he be shown the door like three quarters of his predecessors?

Turning a team that plays effective if unspectacular football into one that plays effective and pleasing-on-the-eye football is not something that can be achieved overnight.

It doesn't matter what sort of credentials or experience a manager has, it takes time to mould a team in your own image and that is why I predict this will be a transitional year for Chelsea.

I would imagine they will still mount serious challenges on several fronts but I don't think all the various pieces of the jigsaw will be in place quickly enough for them to win more than a consolation prize.

The following season, however, would be a whole different ball game and that is when I would expect Ancelotti's Chelsea to really become an attractive force to be reckoned with.

You have to wonder though, if Abramovich can keep his finger off the trigger that long...

Show me the money

The award for hypocrite of the week has to go to Gareth Barry.

The England international moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City this week in a £12 million deal that finally brings to an end the 'will he leave?' saga that has been dragging on for more than year.

During that time he was linked with Liverpool, and on numerous occasions last year it appeared the move would go through, only to collapse when Liverpool's broke owners realised they would need to sell their furniture to fund it.

The reason behind his decision to leave Villa, the club where he has been for most of his senior career, was simple. He wanted Champions League football. Time after time he insisted it was not about trying to get more money from a new club or about trying to get his Villa wages increased. Just about the chance to strut his stuff on the biggest stage.

Which is fine and admirable.

So why the heck has he moved to Manchester City?

No offence to Mark Hughes' team, of course, but the only way they will be playing in Europe over the coming 12 months is if they go on a pre-season tour to Benidorm. Not only are they not in the Champions League, they aren't even in the Europa Cup.

Which tells you, quite clearly, that Barry has moved to the Eastlands stadium for the money.

I don't have a problem with that. But the least I expect is for a player to be honest. Don't come out with all this 'I wanted to avoid going stale' nonsense like Gareth did this week. Admit it, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

How refreshing would it be if a player stood up and said: "Obviously, I know this is actually a step backwards in terms of my career but, to be honest, they offered me incredible amounts of money which I would have been stupid to turn down. I'm only human after all."

Footballers who are blindly loyal to their clubs are few and far between these days. In fact, I would go as far as to say they are an all but a dead breed.

However, just because we have to accept that players will leave one club for another on the basis of money, that doesn't mean we have to accept the fact that they can't be honest about it.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com