Axel Disasi has yet to feature in pre-season after surgery this summer, but the Chelsea defender is hopeful of returning to action when we play Inter at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Disasi played through the pain barrier at the end of the last campaign as he wanted to contribute to our efforts to qualify for European competition. We achieved that target and then, during the off-season, Disasi had hernia surgery which has affected his build-up to the new campaign.
‘I am back on the pitch, not fully, but I’m close,’ he explains to us out in the USA. ‘I am feeling good. There is some strength that I lost from my injury that I have to get back, but I hope I will be fit very soon.
‘You won’t see the injured players in full training but we are still working very hard on our side. We do particular stuff. Sometimes I do stuff a defender has to do in relation to the way the manager wants to play, so when I come back with the team, I’m not lost.
‘I have done two or three sessions with the team now, and he showed me the way he wants us to play from the back,’ Disasi added of his integration into Enzo Maresca’s style of play. It is part of the reason he joined the group for our USA Tour.
‘The idea of the coach is very clear; I think I will learn very quickly. He wants to hold on to the football with a lot of possession and these are the things I like. I am completely ready to do this, and I will enjoy playing in this way.’
Disasi’s upbeat personality has helped him during this extremely rare period on the sidelines. His character was clear for all to see during his first season as a Blue, and he believes there is good reason to showcase his passion privately and publicly.
‘I am someone who likes to make jokes and make people laugh,’ Disasi says. ‘I like to support my teammates when they are in bad moments. It’s just my feeling, my behaviour.
‘I try to put it on the pitch of course. I am sometimes very aggressive - I like to celebrate my tackles and stuff like that - but I can also be very funny and very chill and cool.
'Also off the pitch, I’m like this, I will always laugh and make jokes and have fun with my guys. For me, it’s important the fans know I can be both.
At 26, Disasi is one of the elder statesmen of what is a very young but talented Chelsea squad. He says leading by example comes naturally to him, and he is happy to take responsibility by helping his less experienced teammates.
That he regularly wore the captain’s armband at Monaco at a young age, testament to his leadership qualities.
For now, Disasi is focused on returning to action before the season begins, and his target is accruing some minutes in our final friendly of the summer, against Inter Milan.
‘I am coming back with the team, not fully, but we will see how my body reacts, and of course, if I feel ready I will be ready to play.
‘It’s been a long time since we played at home and I miss the feeling of playing at the Bridge. The atmosphere with the fans is top. I will work hard to be able to play in front of my fans because I care about them and love playing in front of them.
'The expectation is big this season and we want to do a great job to show we deserve the love they give to us.