Micah Richards thinks ‘outstanding’ Chelsea player is now getting back to his very best

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It feels like a good time to be at Chelsea right now, and Micah Richards has named the Blues star he thinks is rediscovering his best form.

The Blues are off to a quick start to the 2025/26 season, picking up seven points out of a possible nine in the Premier League before the international break. We’re confident that head coach Enzo Maresca has got everyone pulling in the same direction.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	3	3	0	0	8	4	4	9
2	ChelseaChelsea	3	2	1	0	7	1	6	7

After the summer transfer window, Chelsea feel their squad is now stronger compared to what they had last year. But let’s wait and see how they cope with the busy schedule ahead, especially without injured stars Liam Delap, Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo.

• READ MORE: The Chelsea fixtures Liam Delap looks set to miss after injury update, including three crunch clashes

Micah Richards super impressed by Reece James form

According to Micah Richards, Chelsea and England right-back Reece James is showing signs to suggest he’s getting back to his very best form. He was full of praise for the 25-year-old star after he started back-to-back World Cup qualifiers for England during the international break, beating Andorra and then Serbia.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Richards said: “Reece James over the two games was outstanding. Imagine having a fully fit Reece James and a fully fit Trent [Alexander-Arnold] for the World Cup. We can cause you all sorts of damage.

“I felt a little bit sorry for Reece James because every time he gets himself fit, he gets a little niggle, but then it takes him a while to get back up to his best form. But he’s there. He’s slowly getting back to what he was when he was on fire. People talk about Trent’s delivery, which is magnificent, but also Reece James’ delivery is very good. And he can defend.”

Of course, the main issue for James in his career recently has been constant interruptions with injury. He’s started to build some rhythm in 2025, though.

Chelsea fans called James the world’s best right-back after he helped England smash Serbia, which followed up an impressive performance against Andorra as well this month.

Back in May, Gary Cahill hailed Chelsea captain James as one of Europe’s elite full-backs when he’s fit and firing. We certainly agree with that because he’s capable of elevating Maresca’s Blues side to new heights. It looks like he’s a real favourite again with England under Thomas Tuchel’s management, too.

Reece James record in 2025

Even though people continue to bring up the injury record of James, it’s time he starts to earn the recognition for a superb calendar year to date. Hopefully, he’s now finally turned the corner and frequent injuries are a thing of the past.

In 2025, James has made 28 Chelsea appearances across all competitions and earned five senior England caps.

The way that Maresca has managed his minutes deserves a special mention. It does make it easier to rotate at Stamford Bridge when the likes of Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong are in reserve.

Like Richards mentions, James looks as sharp right now as he has for quite a few years, which can only be a positive thing for Chelsea and England.