After the euphoria of May it is a wrench to have to re-focus on the season ahead. I would have been more than happy for FIFA and UEFA to back up Gary Neville's commentary after Didier Drogba's moment of apotheosis in Munich when he asked the authorities to ‘stop football' in the wake of Chelsea Football Club's greatest ever night.

But although the 19^th May 2012 will always be frozen in time at the front of my mind, the memory of Frank Lampard and his team mates prostrate with joy on the turf before us in the Allianz Arena seared into my cerebral cortex, the slate needs to be wiped clean and the show must go on.

Nobody is more aware of this than Roberto Di Matteo who was belatedly appointed as Chelsea's permanent manager some 25 days after he led the Blues to the greatest night in their history. While he will always have a European Cup victory on his CV, for his reputation to burgeon accordingly he needs to prove the doubters wrong and lead Chelsea into a new era of success.

The honeymoon is over for the Italian in Roman Abramovich's eyes and he will need to demonstrate that he is able to do what Andre Villas-Boas could not and transform an ageing pragmatic team into a collection of dynamic entertainers that can be dazzling as well as victorious. In Di Matteo's favour is that he has been afforded more funds than his predecessor with around £65m having been lavished on acquiring the mouth-watering talents of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Marko Marin. With Juan Mata and Lampard to guide the creative trio, there should be more artistry on show at Stamford Bridge than there has been for a good while. However, with such weapons in his armoury Di Matteo will be afforded few excuses by his boss should the team fail to yield positive results delivered in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

The totemic Drogba has left the club on the best possible note clearing the way for Fernando Torres to shine while Nicolas Anelka, Jose Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou will all be missing from the roll call of twelve months ago. While it hardly constitutes a purge, the squad list certainly has a different feel to it and a new path is clearly being forged even if the superfluous Florent Malouda and Paolo Ferreira remain in the dressing room.

But with all new teams, the most important ingredient for success is patience. As we know, however, that is something that comes at a premium at Stamford Bridge - both from the stands and the boardroom. The last trophy-laden decade has led to a heightened level of expectation that is as understandable as it is frustrating. The demands for instant success continually obstruct the road to renewal even if it does bring nights of unexpected glory as it did last season. Hazard and Oscar are two remarkable talents but should not be expected to shine spectacularly from the season's first whistle. They are young men alien to England's football and it's culture – they will need time to find their feet both on and off the pitch.

Equally the new image that Di Matteo is trying to make flesh will not happen overnight. The styles of Barcelona and – dare I say it – Arsenal take years to cultivate and cannot be produced in a curtailed close season with a sprinkling of new signings. A philosophy evolves and evolution takes time. Unfortunately, Di Matteo does not have such luxuries with the thought persisting that this team of diminutive playmakers is being constructed as a love letter with which to woo Pep Guardiola after he completes his year-long sabbatical. Di Matteo will probably have to exceed expectations and win either the Premier League or the Champions League to have a chance of staying in his job should the former Barca manager show an interest in working in West London.

So what are our chances? Well, pre-season is never a great barometer which is handy as Chelsea have lost four of their six matches – hardly the form of European Champions.

On a positive note was Fernando Torres' performance against Manchester City in the FA Community Shield. His predatory instinct was wonderfully showcased with the opening goal and his confidence soared as result with two excellent driving runs in the second half pointing to a promising season ahead. But should the Spaniard fail to fire or fall prey to injury then there is little in reserve to lead the line. In his stead, Daniel Sturridge may well be afforded the playing time in his favoured central striking role though with Romelu Lukaku on loan at West Bromwich Albion, alternative resources are limited. The obvious solution might be to buy another frontman but I'm not sure it is as simple as that. A marquee signing such as Edinson Cavani might placate the fans but would do little to bolster Torres' increasingly fragile mindset. It might be better to promote Lucas Piazon from the reserves and mould him into a possible option even if he is more comfortable playing a little deeper.

Realistically, I do not expect to see John Terry hoisting aloft the Premier League trophy next May but that is not to say it can't happen. Should our new signings hit the ground running and our £50m striker deliver regularly in front of goal Chelsea will be a match for anyone. However, it is difficult to look past Man City and a second place finish would be a decent step in the right direction.

Other competitions can provide us with silverware instead. The FA Cup has practically lived at Stamford Bridge over the past six years, after all. Though perhaps the real goal will be to try to repeat the impossible and become the first team to retain the European Cup in the Champions League era. Given that the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan have all failed in their attempts indicates the enormity of the challenge but then who could have predicted events in Camp Nou and the Allianz Arena last season. Maybe Di Matteo truly has the magic touch.

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