So we finally know why Fernando Torres looked so out of sorts at the end of last season. He’d washed out his blonde highlights.

Now that his thatch is restored to its burnished brilliance, he’s on fire again, bamboozling defenders, taxing goalkeepers and (finally) impressing Chelsea’s yet-to-be-convinced fans.

The Blues didn’t quite do enough to penetrate Stoke’s infamous armour on Sunday, but the signs were good, and with a slightly more generous ref, Frank Lampard would surely have won a penalty.

AVB was miffed not to have grabbed all three points in his first Premier League match in charge, but the Portuguese Man-o’-War knows one of the season’s biggest hurdles is behind him.

Stoke City’s no-nonsense butchness means they could easily go a year unbeaten at home, and Chelsea’s title rivals will not relish their visits to the Potteries.

What the Blues lacked was midfield creation, and another major Roman Abramovich purchase is being lined up to plug the gap.

AVB knows it is the one area where Chelsea will struggle unless there is an urgent, and potent, injection of new blood.

The stark fact is that without an inspirational crowd-pleaser such as Joe Cole in his prime, or perhaps Josh McEachran in five years time, Torres will lack the kind of supply line he enjoyed when he roamed ahead of Steven Gerrard at Liverpool.

With eminently winnable home games against West Brom and Norwich ahead, the Blues – and their No 9 with his restored highlights – have a realistic chance to build a platform from which to mount a viable assault on the league.

Cheered on by a Stamford Bridge stadium seeking rapture, buoyed by an early evening full house who will have exited the pubs once their tide is high, and surrounded by teammates determined to be touched by his presence, dear, the stage is ready for the belated blossoming of Blondie.