Reece James starting in Chelsea’s 5-0 win against Morecambe at Stamford Bridge on Saturday would have been a welcome sight to home supporters.
Coming through Chelsea’s academy and being an excellent full-back, Blues fans truly adore Reece James.
It has been painful to see the 25-year-old, the club’s captain, pick up injury after injury. However, James was able to make his first appearance since damaging his hamstring back in November, and he did not disappoint.
On Friday, Enzo Maresca said he would give James some minutes against Morecambe, and the Chelsea boss was able to do just that in the end.
Reece James shone on Chelsea return
James only played 45 minutes against Morecambe, with Maresca clearly wanting to manage his minutes.
Still, James was able to make quite the impact. The Englishman registered one assist, which proved to be a simple one, but he was still a threat on the day. Two other statistics really prove that.
When it came to key passes, James recorded three, which is impressive for a full-back. He also completed four crosses. James may be a defender, but the Chelsea man is a centre-forward’s dream.
| Reece James vs Morecambe | Total |
| Minutes | 45 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Ground duels (won) | 3 (2) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 2 (2) |
| Touches | 66 |
| Accurate passes | 49/54 (91%) |
| Key passes | 3 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 8 (4) |
| Big chances created | 1 |
If you are Maresca, you have to pray that James stays fit. Albeit against League Two opposition, the England international has reminded everyone what he is capable of.
In the past, former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has described James as “unbelievable”. When the Blues skipper does manage to get himself on the pitch, it is easy to see why.
Chelsea players glad to see Reece James back
Chelsea fans will be pleased to see James return to first-team action but so will the right-back’s teammates.
In fact, they have already expressed as much on James’ Instagram following their 5-0 win against Morecambe.
Several Chelsea players replied to James’ post after the game. Pedro Neto, for example, wrote: “He is back.” Marc Cucurella responded with: “I miss you.”
Going forward, Chelsea fans will be hoping to see a full-back combo of James and Cucurella. Now it is just a matter of whether the former can stay fit.
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