A comprehensive defeat, and the only sound of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thumping anything was his fist against the dug-out in frustration after he was withdrawn.Should they suffer a similar fate at Aston Villa this afternoon, the rottweilers among the media will have Gianluca landing only one gamble First in the managerial sack race. And we’re still in August.Among all their summer acquisitions, Chelsea did not acquire the one contributor they so desperately needed, St Christopher. Perils on their travels remain the principal hindrance to their ambitions.However, Vialli does not bear the bruises of a man who is suffering too greatly from the questions inevitably raised after that sorry performance at Valley Parade “It seems to me that nobody gets criticised like Chelsea. Whatever success we get is never enough for some people,” declared the man who orchestrated Chel-sea’s FA Cup final defeat of Villa in May.”It’s all about expectation, and maybe it’s because we are seen as the big cosmopolitan club that goes out and buys foreign players Yet the difference with our rivals is very little.

If you look at the other teams, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, they have brought foreigners, too. The criticism doesn’t bother me, because it’s part of the game But the fact is, it’s not fair. The facts are different from how they are portrayed.”Nevertheless, Chelsea will remain a facile target for some while they are perceived as a club who prefer expensive imports to British players, yet still fail to profit in the championship from their hefty expenditure. The comparison with an immensely successful Manchester United, with their raft of home-bred quality players, is all too easily made. It all raises the question of loyalty and the oft-asked question: does the foreign mercenary possess the same desire as his club-raised counterpart? “It’s easy to get loyalty from a home-grown player, like Jon Harley, Jody Morris or John Terry,” said Vialli. “However, you also need to buy players, and you’ve to be good at choosing ones who are professional and care about the club.

But the key is to find players who have the ability to win matches.”He added: “We made lots of enquiries for British players this summer. But unfortunately, if I can spend £5m here and get one player or two similar ones abroad for £2.5m each, that is what happens. I haven’t seen many British players changing clubs this season in the Premiership. There’s been [Nick] Barmby and [Duncan] Ferguson, but nothing really big.