Carlo Ancelotti's time at Chelsea will be shaped by his first few months at the club. It depends very much on how Chelsea start next season and how he gets on with the players but if this period goes well, I predict he will win everything at Stamford Bridge - including the Champions League.

People will compare him to Fabio Capello, as a fellow Italian, as well as Jose Mourinho, but he is very different from both these men.

Whereas Capello is a lover of museums and art galleries, Ancelotti is a far more simple man, although he will enjoy the good restaurants in London. Capello also acts like a sergeant-major or a schoolmaster towards his players but Ancelotti will be their friend.

He is not a man who likes to establish an authoritarian regime. Indeed, he is very much a laugher and a joker, and he enjoys being involved in some of the players' banter.

It will be interesting to see how Capello and Ancelotti get on when Carlo comes to England, because it was always thought in Italy that they didn't really see eye to eye.

Capello was the manager of Milan when Ancelotti played his last game for the club, on 18 May 1992.

Carlo was brought on in the second half and scored twice in a 4-0 win over Verona but he was always a pupil of Arrigo Sacchi and he was part of his backroom staff during Sacchi's time as coach of the Italian national team. One example of how he modelled himself on Sacchi came during the 2006-07 season, when AC Milan played a game at Livorno, which ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw for the Rossoneri.

During the game, Ancelotti was shouting encouragement at Clarence Seedorf.

The Dutch midfielder responded that Ancelotti should give him proper instructions, rather than simply shouting at him from the bench.

Ancelotti substituted him immediately, and the pair argued, but everything was forgotten the following day.

For Ancelotti, having a good rapport with his players is absolutely vital, and he would never be one to hold a grudge after an argument.

He is not an extravagant man - he is the antithesis of Mourinho, for example - so he will not lead a flashy lifestyle, as he does not need much to enjoy life.

My one worry is about whether he will be able to learn the English language quickly enough.

He has been having lessons for quite some time but I am not sure how well he is progressing. It is vitally important that he is able to communicate effectively with an English-speaking dressing room, as Guus Hiddink and Jose Mourinho were able to do.

But he is a top manager and nobody in England should doubt that.

You look at his record: not only has he won the Champions League twice, in 2003 and 2007, he also led Milan to the Serie A title in 2004 and the Club World Cup in 2007.