Enzo Maresca often shuffles his pack ahead of midweek games to ensure his entire squad remains fresh during a long season and guarantee players working hard each week at Cobham are given deserved minutes.

But regardless of who is on the team-sheet, when it comes to the celebrations in front of our supporters or in the dressing room afterwards, this group are united. They are one.

‘As a player and as a group, we are all together,' Disasi said during his press conference ahead of tomorrow's Conference League clash with Astana.

'We have a lot of quality players but in the dressing room, everyone is fighting for everyone, we are all friends, and in the Conference League or the Premier League, when you see the atmosphere after each game or in the dressing room when we put videos on social media, you can see the team spirit is really good.’

Disasi is one of those who has seen the majority of his minutes come in the Conference League and the EFL Cup this season, such has been the form of players like Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana.

At 26, he is one of our more experienced players and has captained the team on several occasions this term. So the defender knows all too well that successful clubs are built with squads, not just those who start in the Premier League on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Disasi said: ‘As a player and a competitor, we like to play every game but sometimes you have to be clever. We have a lot of games so we can’t play every game because we have a big squad so everyone has to take their chance and it is why when you have the opportunity to play, you have to perform and show your qualities.

‘At this moment, we are doing well but even if in some moments as a player we can feel like we want to play every game, that is not possible. Like tomorrow, we will fly eight hours and then also play on Sunday so we have to be clever and think about things like this.’

Thursday's Conference League game against Astana will see Chelsea's players and staff undertake a gruelling 16-hour round trip to Kazakhstan. They won't return until Friday morning, two days before our Premier League game with Brentford.

With the Blues top of the Conference League table after four matches and with rotation paying dividends thus far, it came as no surprise when Maresca said several first-team players will stay back in England in preparation for our London derby with Brentford.

Our head coach also confirmed a number of Academy players will once again travel with the senior team and even confirmed 18-year-old Josh Acheampong would be among those to start.

Disasi was asked if he had any advice for the younger players travelling to Kazakhstan. He replied: ‘I would say they have to be themselves and just enjoy the moment, don’t feel the pressure and I will be there to help them if they ask for some advice.

'It might not be the best game to start because of the flight and the temperature there but they have the qualities to compete in this kind of game. If they are here, it is because they have that quality so this game will be good for them.'

The Blues are not only top of the Conference League league phase, we are also currently second in the Premier League, just four points below leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Disasi, like Maresca, stated the squad is not concentrating on the prospect of lifting silverware this season, though, instead focusing solely on the next game.

The France international stressed the need to remain humble and continue to work hard every day in training if the team are to be successful during the 2024/25 campaign.

'We are in a good way but we don’t think about the future,' Disasi said. 'We just take it game-by-game and will see how it goes. We are all happy with the performances of the team now, we can feel the fans are very happy with how we perform, and hopefully we can continue like this.’

So the focus is very much on Thursday night and a trip to Almaty, where Astana play their European fixtures.

Further east than Afghanistan, the temperature in Almaty is expected to be around -11°C on Thursday night and the flight alone will take more than eight hours.

‘I will just have to put on my gloves and be ready to compete,' Disasi said with a smile.

'We all know the condition of this game. It is an eight-hour flight and minus 11 so I will be putting on some movies on the plane, be ready and put on two pairs of gloves so I am ready to compete in this game because at the end, we know this is a European game and we have to fight to keep first place.’