Maresca 'a great manager' - Casadei

Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei has heaped praise on manager Enzo Maresca before Thursday evening's Europa Conference League match against Gent.

Casadei played under Maresca during his loan spell with Leicester City last season and admitted he was "happy and excited" when he knew Maresca had taken the job at Stamford Bridge.

"It was very clear from the first day - everybody understood what his ideas were, his ways and how he wanted to play," he explained. "I really like the way he wants to play, the way he thinks and how he sees football.

"I think he's a great manager because he's able to get the best out of every one of us. We are doing really well and we are working hard every day. He's really demanding but that's the way it should be because we are at Chelsea and everybody knows we have high expectations.

"When this season started and I saw that the manager had come in, I was happy and excited because I had him at Leicester. I knew it would be difficult to play because we have so many players but at the same time, good competition can make me stronger and improve me."