Casadei on his decision to stay at Chelsea and not go on loan
02/10/2024
Cobham Training Ground, London, UK
02/10/2024
Cobham Training Ground, London, UK
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hi Cesare, obviously you played under Enzo Maresca last season, so when you came into Chelsea this summer and ready for the season ahead, did you have a lot of questions from your team-mates about what it was like to play under him and what it was like to play for him at Leicester last season?
00:17Yeah, to be honest, I was not the only one player who knew the manager before, because there was Kinnian, Dries Brueghel, Cole Palmer had him in Man City, and Lavia, so to be honest, I didn't get so many questions about him.
00:46But it was very clear from the first day, so everyone understood from the first day what was his idea and his way, how he wanted to play, so I think it was very easy for everyone to understand him, what he wants and all the things that he wants.
01:16What do you like most about his idea and do you think the group of players you have here at Chelsea are well suited to him as a coach?
01:46Yeah, we are doing really well, we are working hard every day, so it's really demanding, but I think that's the way how it should be, because we are in Chelsea, everyone knows that we have high expectations and I think he asked us to do so.
02:16Hi Cesare, I wanted to ask you a little bit about last season, you were alone at Leicester, you did very well, and then you came back in January and you didn't play so much, were you a little bit disappointed to miss the end of last season, because you could have won the title, and were you very excited when Enzo became the manager anyway at the end?
02:44Yeah, no, I think the last season was quite difficult, especially the last part of the season, the last six months was quite difficult for me, because I didn't play a lot and I was not really happy, because obviously everyone wants game time, but yeah, when this season started and I saw that the manager came in, yeah, I was happy, I was excited, because I had him in Leicester the last season,
03:10and I knew already, we knew each other already, so I spoke with him and from the moment I decided to stay, I knew already that it would have been quite difficult to play, because we have so many players,
03:31but at the same time, the good competition can make me stronger and can improve me.
03:40Do you believe you can become a Chelsea player more regularly, do you think you can play more regularly at Chelsea in the future with all the competition?
03:48Yeah, as I said before, from the moment I decided to stay here, my goal is to become a Chelsea player and an important player for this team, I always try to give my best to the team, to try to train hard every day and keep improving, having the goal to become an important part of this team.
04:19Can you play in a deeper midfield position against Barrow? I was just wondering how much experience you have playing in that kind of position, what sort of adaptation was it like for you?
04:34Yeah, the last season with the manager, with Enzo, I played more forward, more box-to-box in the midfield, this season I'm training every day, I'm playing as a whole midfielder, but I think it's good for me to learn different positions, because it can help in my future, in my career,
05:02and as I said before, I always have to be ready in every position he wants me to play, I have to be ready, full-focussed and try to do my best.
05:12Does it feel like it's improving your understanding, getting a slightly different view of the midfield from a deeper position?
05:20Yeah, sure, sure. I have to try to train and do my things even with more focus and I have to try to work even harder, because it's a new position and sometimes
05:50it's not as easy as when I played where I used to play, but I think, as I said before, it's good for me. I want to learn to manage different situations in the pitch and yeah.
06:09Hi Cedric, there was a lot of speculation in the summer that you were going to go on loan again. I just wondered, was it your decision to stay at Chelsea or was it that a deal didn't come about and just what the thinking was behind not going on loan and staying?
06:32No, it was my decision. As I said before, the last season was not very easy for me, so at the start of the season, I'll be honest, I was thinking about what was the best solution for me, but from the moment I spoke to the manager, I was 100% sure that the decision to stay would have been the best for me, for my career, for my improvements and so yeah, it was my decision.
07:02When you said you decided to stay, you were thinking about staying. Was that, you were thinking about leaving permanently and going somewhere else for good, because you wanted to get more time? I just wanted to try to clarify.
07:13No, to be honest, my idea, I never had the idea to go permanent in another club. There were some possible loans, but at the end, as I said before, I spoke to the manager, he told me what he thinks and I had no doubt from the first moment because I've always wanted to play for Chelsea and so we are in a big team, one of the biggest teams in the world.
07:43So I think it's, I could not be more proud to play for Chelsea and this is my goal, as I said before, to play for this team. So I had no doubt.
07:56Was the conversation in Italian or did you do English to practice?
08:00No, we speak Italian, we speak Italian.
08:03How difficult is it, training all week and then not being in squads at the weekend. You would have enjoyed that, but training all week and playing a game, how important are these games to you?
08:20Sometimes it can be hard, but as I said before, we are in Chelsea, we are in one of the biggest clubs in the world, so it's normal that there is a really high competition.
08:33We have so many players, as it should be, with a lot of qualities, so it's not always easy to play every game, week in, week out.
08:42So you have to put in your mind that you will have to fight for your place, like the good competition and that's one of the reasons why I decided to stay, even because when there is competition, the good competition, it can help you to improve and to make you a better player and it can be helpful for you.
09:07Could that change in January? You're not playing as much as you would like.
09:11Sorry?
09:11Could that change in January? You're going out alone in January, you're not playing in the minutes.
09:16I'm not thinking about that, to be honest, right now. I'm just thinking about game by game, training every day and working hard. That's the only thing I have in my mind. I'm not thinking about going out alone, to be honest, for the moment.
09:31Thanks all, cheers.
09:41Cheers.