BBC pundit Chris Sutton has criticised Micah Richards’ claim on the Football Daily podcast that Chelsea losing Reece James is on a similar scale to Liverpool losing Virgil van Dijk.
The England international has only played 12 games in all competitions this season, and the Blues have certainly paid the price when he hasn’t been there.
He made his return to football in the first game back after the World Cup against Bournemouth, however hobbled off just minutes into the second half and is yet to return since.
In the games he hasn’t featured, Graham Potter has searched far and wide for a member of his squad to try and fill the void he has left.
This has included opportunities for Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and even Raheem Sterling, all of which paling in comparison to James.
Richards argues James importance
Richards has claimed that the loss of arguably their best player should not be overlooked when discussing the club’s dismal form.
He said: “But we talked about that with Van Dijk. Remember when he got injured and Liverpool. We said that one person, one player can unbalance the team.”
However, Sutton disagreed with the argument, bluntly responding: “Not to the same extent – absolutely not.”
Richards however noted that of course it’s not just James that the Blues have lost in the wing-back role. He said: “I’m not just saying it’s just James. But it’s the way in which Chelsea played and the wing-backs!”
Ben Chilwell is yet to be seen since football returned after Christmas, with his absence on the other side of the pitch not being far off the importance of his England teammate’s.
Reports have claimed that Chilwell is getting closer to returning to full fitness, after an injury late in the game against Dinamo Zagreb at Stamford Bridge put a dent in his comeback.
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