Chelsea's large French-speaking contingent has helped Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi settle this season, says the defensive pair.

Gusto arrived from Lyon last year, while Disasi joined from AS Monaco.

"Outside the pitch we laugh a lot with the other French guys," Disasi told chelseafc.com, "People call us the 'French mafia' [as a joke]! But it is really good to have some friends away from the pitch.

"With Malo, sometimes I go to eat at his home and he can come to mine. It is really good to have someone who understands me. Also, I play centre-back and Malo plays right-back, so I think it really helps to keep this relationship strong, it helps us on the pitch."

Gusto agrees: "It is very important to build this type of relationship. Especially for us, because we are close on the pitch. It is important to speak between us. You have to trust your teammate, so it is important to have this type of relationship."

Disasi also said: "Everyone knows about the Premier League.

"When we both signed here, we expected it to be a fight with a high intensity, a lot of pace and all of this.

"I think also that we prepare well. You can see all this season that we have improved and made each other [improve]. Next season will be better because now we know better the league, the club and the culture."