Billionaire oligarch Roman Abramovich will have seen a few diamonds in his time. Thanks to his latest managerial appointment at Chelsea, he is observing a new one, and on initial inspection, it may be to his liking.

In the spirit of pre-season hype, much has been written about Carlo Ancelotti’s favoured diamond system. On paper, the formation seems a little narrow, with an over-reliance on overlapping full backs to provide width. In practice, we are seeing that it is an impressively fluid system, and in no small part, that is down to the embarrassment of riches the Italian has inherited in midfield.

If width is required, he can call upon the much-improved Florent Malouda, in addition to Kalou, Zhirkov and (if and when fit) Joe Cole. For tighter occasions, Ballack and Deco may be preferred. Either way, it seems Ancelotti will rotate his options in midfield according to the opponent and match situation.

Make no mistake, Ancelotti will be no ‘Tinkerman’. Expect to see the irrepressible spine of Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba on the vast majority of team sheets.

The early signs are extremely encouraging – Roman may have found his diamond geezer. However, a word of caution.

This time last year, Deco was shining in the late summer sun, and Luis Felipe Scolari was charming all whose path he crossed. While Deco tries to establish himself again, ‘Big Phil’ is now managing the mighty FC Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan. As Greavsie’s said so sagely, it’s a funny old game.