Chelsea’s first and second teams are settling into a pattern now, and it’s clear which players are going to be used, which aren’t going to be used, and which are awkwardly stuck in between.
Back in Italy, one player in the latter category has been the subject of words from his international manager, Italy U21 coach Carmine Nunziata. Cesare Casadei was recalled this year in January and has stuck around ever since, with Enzo Maresca promising some game time – which was hard to come by under Mauricio Pochettino.
“Last year Cesare had a good first part [of the season] with Leicester, then he went to Chelsea and played little,” Nunziata said on Italian radio station Rai 1 Sport, in quotes picked up by CaughtOffside.
“This year they kept him there, I advised him to see how it goes until January, otherwise it’s right to look around for another solution. The important thing is that the boys play. If they find a team in Italy, even better.
“But the experience abroad is also formative. For example, after playing in Switzerland, I found [Mattia] Zanotti to have improved a lot and grown a lot.”
Casadei at major career cross roads
Casadei may not have played a single Premier League minute yet this season, but he’s starting to get minutes in the cup competitions. He started our last EFL Cup game and our last Conference League game, and could be a regular in both competitions now, given Maresca does genuinely seem to like him.
His height and aerial ability means he offers something the coach needs in his second string, and something which the other options there don’t necessarily have.
The question for Casadei is whether he thinks 10 or 15 starts (at best) this season in cup games is a good development pathway for him, or whether moving in January would be best.