When it comes to Chelsea's plans for world domination, they do appear to sit closer to fantasy than reality at the moment. They are in a mess of their own making, and only when Roman Abramovich realises how ridiculous a decision it was to replace Jose Mourinho with Avram Grant will the recovery begin But Peter Hill-Wood, the outspoken Arsenal chairman, would be naive to think a £200million turnover and 16 Premiership points mark a sudden shift in power or to believe that, for as long as Abramovich remains in charge, Chelsea cannot achieve their long-term targets. Abramovich still has billions in the bank to buy another top manager and some more superstar players. He just needs to let the next manager make all the football decisions in future.
When Abramovich left Old Trafford on Sunday, he must have grudgingly accepted how wrong he was to go to war with Mourinho over Andriy Shevchenko.
Insiders certainly suggest that he did, given what appears to be the reaction among the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to the Ukraine striker's performance in the 2-0 loss to Manchester United. 'He was awful,' said one. 'I think that's got to be him finished at Chelsea.'
He was so bad, in fact, that Grant had the courage to risk professional suicide and hook him after 59 minutes.
Abramovich lovingly applauded a player he clearly idolises but he could no longer hide from the truth. Mourinho was right not to want him in the first place, just as he was right to drop him when it no longer became a question of Shevchenko adapting to the unique demands of the English Premier League. He was a great player but his best years were behind him before he signed for Chelsea, and Mourinho knew as much.
Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive who probably regrets Mourinho's departure more than he would dare admit, can only hope his Russian employers start to realise that the most successful businessmen in football leave the football to the experts. Kenyon was the chief executive at United before he moved to Chelsea and never would have told Sir Alex Ferguson who to sign or what tactics to employ. There is an arrogance about certain members of the Chelsea hierarchy that manifests itself in the way they thought they could make policy decisions that should have been left to Mourinho.
Take Eugene Tenenbaum, the Chelsea director and Abramovich confidant. When asked to comment on the rapidly unfolding drama by senior football reporters outside Stamford Bridge in the early hours of Thursday morning, he reacted with a petulant, patronising flick of the wrist. And they accuse Mourinho of harming the club's image.
Abramovich has made the mistake of surrounding himself with a team of football advisers, Grant among them, when he should have put all his trust in Mourinho the way United do with Ferguson and Arsenal with Arsene Wenger. Tell them they cannot have the money to buy a player, by all means, but do not tell them who to buy in the first place. Do not undermine them by appointing a director of football or an academy manager.
Abramovich took it upon himself to try to sign Ronaldinho before the transfer window closed last month and he will try again next summer. But he should only do so if it is what his manager wants.
Yesterday, Mourinho responded to Chelsea's defeat at Old Trafford by suggesting they will miss him even more when they start losing Premier League games at home. It was something, after all, they never experienced during his extraordinary tenure. 'The fans never left Stamford Bridge crying,' he said.
But Mourinho also made the point about Wenger and Ferguson, and about the importance of trust and continuity.
'Sir Alex Ferguson was at Manchester United a lot of years without winning titles, I think it was three years in a row, and he continues in his job. Wenger's already in his third year without winning titles and continues in his work.
'If it was down to the Chelsea fans I'd have a contract for 20 years and I'd continue working without any problem.' As it is, Mourinho has gone and when people look at Chelsea they see only chaos now.
'I have seen the problems at Chelsea with the change of coach but this season they have just not developed the rhythm of other years,' observed Carlos Tevez after scoring his first United goal against Chelsea on Sunday. Tevez then said they have more to fear from Arsenal than Chelsea, and right now they probably do. But Chelsea can once again dominate, and they might yet win the Champions League twice in the next six years. They just need Abramovich to recognise the difference between fantasy and reality, and wake up to the fact that he is not qualified to run a football team. Shevchenko proved as much to him at Old Trafford.