Antonio Conte has hailed the importance of Carlo Cudicini as Chelsea continue their impressive run up the Premier League table.
The Blues are now seen by many as genuine title contenders after a string of dominant displays, and now find themselves in second position with 25 points from 11 games played
And Conte - who began his reign as Chelsea manager this summer - has assembled a sizeable background staff including Italian compatriot Cudicini.
Speaking to Chelsea's official website Conte explained: 'I have two coaches for the physical work, two for the metabolic work and one for the strength work, and then I have two assistant coaches, and also my brother who helps me to prepare for the games with analysis studying the opponent and studying our game.