Now Carlo Ancelotti can finally plot Blues' title chase

It has taken Carlo Ancelotti just a few weeks to collect his first trophy as Chelsea manager, yet it is captain John Terry's decision to stay at the club that he will regard as the biggest victory from the club's pre-season tour of the USA.

The trip could not have gone much better for the Italian with four straight wins, which included impressive performances over both Inter and AC Milan and the presentation of the World Football Challenge Shield, but ensuring Terry stayed at the club is a more notable achievement.

There is no doubt the England captain was distracted by the prospect of joining Manchester City and the longer he stayed quiet on the subject, the more unsettling it was for all concerned.

Chelsea and Ancelotti constantly claimed they were relaxed about the situation even though his decision to make a statement just three weeks before the start of the season must have felt like it was a little bit too close for comfort.

Still, the fact he has made his intentions clear before the club return to England means Ancelotti can now finally concentrate on other matters, including the club's continued pursuit of at least one big-name signing.

The 49-year-old certainly played his part in convincing Terry that he was better off at Stamford Bridge rather than leaving for a massive salary at Eastlands, although the defender's talks with the hierarchy over the club's ambitions proved just as significant.

Terry certainly didn't allow the speculation off the field to affect his performances on it in America, yet there will be some supporters who may still want some more convincing that he is as committed to the cause as he has claimed throughout his professional career.

The announcement of a new contract which will take him to £150,000-a-week is inevitable, however the manner in which it has been acquired may leave a bit of a sour taste.

Up until now, Ancelotti's reign had been overshadowed by the issue, including all the fine work that has taken place on this tour.

Of course the main aim of Chelsea's trip across the Atlantic from a club's point of view is to continue to promote the brand and acquire new fans.

Judging by the number of Chelsea shirts being worn by the locals in all four cities of their tour - Seattle, LA, Baltimore and Dallas - the message is certainly getting across. And all of their games were played in packed stadiums, with an average attendance of 68,736.

More importantly, the former AC Milan coach has got the players to understand what he expects of them tactically from the outset.

His decision to change to a new formation, where the club will be playing with two strikers up front, is already paying dividends but there were other triumphs too.

Didier Drogba took half of last season to get his lack of fitness and Luiz Felipe Scolari out of his system. He looks like he is ready to start the next campaign in the best possible form.

Two fine goals helped the club beat Inter and AC Milan and there were no signs of the knee problems that have dogged him in recent years.

He will sign a new three-year contract before the season gets under way and put pay to any talk over his time in south west London coming to an end.

The club's main summer signing Yuri Zhirkov, who cost £18m from CSKA Moscow, impressed on his debut in the 2-1 victory against AC Milan on Friday and did enough to suggest Florent Malouda can have real cause for concern over his place, even though he has just been given a new deal.

Frank Lampard was in his usual goal-scoring form and youngster Daniel Sturridge demonstrated that he could certainly make a contribution off the bench next term.

Ancelotti also gave some of the graduates from the academy a chance to shine and Michael Mancienne certainly did his cause some good, especially in his confident showing against Club America last night.

He may have been part of what was ultimately a weakened Chelsea side in Dallas, but the strong work ethic and team spirit which Ancelotti has already generated was evident.

This has already led to disgruntled trio Andriy Shevchenko, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho doing a U-turn and announcing they want to stay at the club, although whether they get their new wish remains to be seen.

The trio put in energetic displays against Club America, with Carvalho heading against a post just two minutes after Salomon Kalou had done the same.

But the sight of Franco di Santo and Malouda converting their chances from close range late on in the second half ensured the whole contingent in blue left the pitch sporting broad smiles.

The only real negative from Chelsea's time in the USA was the reappearance of injury problems to key players which has blighted the past three seasons. Joe Cole missed it altogether with a knee problem and Michael Ballack had to go home early due to a fractured toe, although he is still expected to be fit for the start of the season.

Still, Ancelotti is in no doubt that the team's success in the USA has prepared them to start the League season on a high. He said: "We have been working very well at the start of this pre-season. We have worked very hard and the players have improved the quality of their play. This is only the start and now we have big matches to come, but we are ready to play."