Ashley Cole was left waxing lyrical about Chelsea youngster Reece James after his latest performance, claiming that he’s become much more aggressive with his defending.
Frank Lampard’s side produced an eye-catching display at Stamford Bridge to beat bottom of the table Sheffield United 4-1 and they showed some brilliant moments going forward, with chief creator Hakim Ziyech at the heart of everything.
Despite conceding early to David McGoldrick goal, the Blues answered back emphatically with goals from Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Timo Werner.
The Blues are temporarily up to third in the league table although there are still more games to be played this weekend, but can be extremely happy going into the international break.
Chelsea legend Cole spoke about right-back James in his post-match analysis on television and was hugely positive about his development:
“He’s improved so much defensively, one-on-one he’s getting out to players quicker with an idea of what he wants to do,” Cole told Sky Sports’ Main Event channel (7:50pm, 7 November).
“I think he’s more aggressive when he’s going out pressing players. I think he’s recovering better. He’s keeping Cesar Azpilicueta out of the team so Frank has took a gamble.”
James was his usual attacking threat against Sheffield United his overlapping runs from full-back and Chelsea fans can be excited about the partnership that is beginning to develop with Moroccan winger Ziyech ahead of him.
James will now link up with England’s senior squad during the international break, where he’s managed to impress national team boss Gareth Southgate and it looks like his reputation is soaring after an excellent start to the season.
The 20-year-old academy graduate has proven his immense crossing ability since his breakthrough to the first-team during the last year, but it’s a fair assessment that his defending is improving and the powerhouse has become a part of a more solid backline.
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