If Carlo Ancelotti chose to digest this week's World Cup play-off deciders, either in his plush home in the Surrey stockbroker belt or back in his native Reggiolo, there is one result which might have made his lip curl in irritation.
Not France's ill-gotten triumph over the Republic of Ireland, which cast such a pall over his old friend Giovanni Trapattoni, but the one which took place an hour or so earlier, which saw Slovenia deliver the shock of the night in ousting Russia.
Ordinarily, such a result would raise barely a murmur of reaction within the insular confines of English football but there was one crucial difference in in Ljubljana: the presence of Guus Hiddink in the visitors' dug-out.
Hiddink was saying little regarding his long-term future in the wake of his team's defeat, but it is widely assumed he will now leave his post in Moscow to seek a return to club management, and Chelsea will almost inevitably be at the head of his list of preferred destinations.
The Dutchman, who enjoyed a successful spell as the club's caretaker manager in the final third of last season, retains an immensely strong powerbase at Stamford Bridge. He is a close friend of Roman Abramovich, the owner, and immensely popular with the senior players in the dressing room, most notably John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech, who all made personal pleas for him to stay on as manager at the end of last season.
Hiddink refused, citing the agreement he had with the Russian Football Federation - who count Abramovich as one of their chief financial backers - to coach the side until qualification for the 2010 World Cup had been decided. Now that hope has been dashed, Hiddink will almost certainly become a free agent - a scenario which will cause Ancelotti some justifiable anxiety.
In the short term, Ancelotti seems secure. He, too, is popular among his players and his record bears comparison with any of his immediate predecessors in west London.
But Hiddink's sudden availability will not have gone unnoticed in the corridors of power at Stamford Bridge and it is no coincidence that the odds on him returning to the club in some capacity were slashed within minutes of Russia's defeat on Wednesday.
Perhaps the more likely scenario at this stage is for Hiddink to be appointed as a director of football. That would have grave implications for Frank Arnesen, the current technical director, but would also do little to stabilise Ancelotti's position.
Either way, it is surely inconceivable that Hiddink will not, one day, return to the Chelsea hot-seat. How quickly it happens depends on how swiftly Ancelotti can place silverware in the club's trophy cabinet.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
If a Player deliberatly commits offences such as Diving or hand ball The team and Club should also be penalized by a points deduction after all Football is a Team Game This way CHEATING should then be a thing of the Past
Most games are On Video for a Panel to Adjudicate it is accepted that The Referee will not actually see all offences that are commited.
Goal line problems should be also decided with technology as used in Tennis there could therefore be Cost Saving in the long run by not having extra linesmen who in any event can be in a disadvantageous position with a crowded Goalmouth