Micah Richards praised Reece James whilst reporting for BBC Sport on the FA Cup fifth-round tie between Chelsea and Barnsley.
It was certainly not the prettiest of performances from the Blues who huffed and puffed without much reward against their Championship hosts.
Tammy Abraham’s singular strike just past the hour mark was conclusive enough to send Chelsea through.
Thomas Tuchel made wholesale changes to his team both before and during the match. He brought on James at half time and his impact was pretty instantaneous.
Chelsea’s young defender assisted Abraham’s goal by sliding his cross low across the Barnsley box that just required a simple tap in.
Although he was only on the pitch for 45 minutes, Richards wanted to compliment James for his contribution.
“I thought James was good when he came on”, he admitted.
“Added that extra bit of quality. The balance felt a little bit better. More quality into the box. They (Chelsea) deserved it on the night.”
The 21-year-old’s introduction meant a tactical change by Tuchel. Chelsea switched from their customary 3-4-2-1 formation to a 4-2-3-1.
This is the first-time onlookers have seen a clear switch in style from the Blues boss, but it probably won’t be the last.
James slotted into his comfortable right-back role and managed to provide the killer pass that decided the game.
Tuchel has shown trust in the England international after leaving him out of his maiden game in charge against Wolverhampton Wanderers. James now looks like he’s here to stay permanently.
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We all know his quality in those type of positions and it will be interesting whether Tuchel decides to stick with a four-man defence to try get the best out of James.
I doubt he will, considering the number of goals they’ve conceded, but cracks have started to show in the last two fixtures so may a reshuffle is necessary.
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