Claudio Ranieri is not one to waste a moment in his quest to take Chelsea to the top. While waiting for the team's flight at Heathrow yesterday morning the new Italian coach and his assistants could be seen practising English with the club's interpreter.
"Twentee, thirtee, fortee," the trio repeated parrot-fashion, though the significance of that particular numerical choice was unclear. Maybe this is the range of push-ups the reportedly disciplinarian Ranieri plans to introduce as punishment for players who flag on the training ground.
Two sessions a day now under the new regime; a necessary hardship, Ranieri believes, if Chelsea are to banish the inconsistency that has dogged them.
"A great team has to be able to play against any team," said the coach, pointing to Chelsea's problems beating the minnows in the footballing pond. "My philosophy is to have a lot of tactical solutions. And players have to adapt themselves to various solutions. To do this you need a lot of training sessions."
So although an excursion in the Worthington Cup of Europe appears to be a distraction from Ranieri's main assignment of winning the Premiership, it does offer him a chance to try out his ant-crushing plans with his new charges.
St Gallen are to Europe what Bradford are to the Premiership, a small-town visitor to the big city. But it is precisely Chelsea's habit of slipping up against the sort of teams they should be beating that has undermined Ken Bates's plans to win a trophy big enough to match his ego.
The little Swiss club have to play this match in Zurich because their own ground is too small, but they showed in the first leg at Stamford Bridge that they possess the ability to embarrass Chelsea.
Compact, well organised and dangerous on the break, they managed to restrict the home side to a one-goal win, though admittedly their task was made easier by the despondency of a Chelsea team in shock after the sacking of Gianluca Vialli two days earlier.
Yesterday Gianfranco Zola took the opportunity to deny reports that he played a part in Vialli's downfall. "My conscience is clear," he said. "I wish I had that power."
But already Ranieri has moved to restore unity. "I will accept any result if the players have played with their hearts," he said yesterday. And, of course, that is exactly what Chelsea did in his first game in charge, coming back from 3-1 down to draw at Manchester United. It is the sort of spirit that will be required tonight.
Tactically, Ranieri is expected to stick by the 4-3-3 formation that Chelsea have used of late, even though Marcel Desailly is out injured and Dennis Wise faces a late fitness check.
Chelsea (probable): Cudicini; Panucci, Bogarde, Leboeuf, Le Saux; Di Matteo, Melchiot, Morris or Wise; Zola, Flo, Hasselbaink.
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