Chelsea captain Reece James has been on a roll since returning from injury.
Before Chelsea‘s draw with Arsenal earlier, Reece James was able to start three consecutive Premier League matches.
That run of games was hugely encouraging after all of the defender’s injury problems. However, he was left on the bench for his side’s London derby.
Despite his fitness issues, Enzo Maresca was OK with England calling James up for this international break, but he did not make Lee Carsley’s squad in the end.
Reece James benched for Arsenal game
James would have loved to have started against Arsenal, who are one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals.
However, Maresca has confirmed that he was left out of the team for tactical reasons.
Speaking to Sky Sports (10/11/2024 at 19:26) after the game, the Chelsea head coach said: “He was injured, came back with us, played three or four games in a row in the Premier League, been top, fantastic, and today simply for tactical decision he didn’t play from the start.”
Why Reece James deserved to start against Arsenal
Maresca clearly had his reasons for omitting James from his starting XI, but after his performance against Manchester United last weekend, plenty of Chelsea fans probably would have liked to have seen their captain on the pitch from the get-go.
Defensively, he was excellent, winning so many duels on the day. He was playing out of position as well, with Maresca starting him at left-back.
| Reece James’ duel stats vs Manchester United | Total |
| Ground duels won | 3 |
| Aerial duels won | 5 |
The most important thing, though, is Chelsea managed to get a point from the Arsenal game, while James still came on and was able to make a contribution.
You do not want to speak too soon, but the England international looks fully fit again and seems to have put his hamstring issues behind him.
With it being the international break now, he will have time to rest as well before potentially getting the nod to start in Chelsea’s next Premier League game against Leicester City.
Maresca has been happy with James since his return and he will now be hoping to cement a spot in the Italian’s team.
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