Forget Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, Reece James may be the Chelsea player Aston Villa need to be wary of going into their game against the Blues.
Chelsea travel to Villa Park to face Unai Emery’s side and are very much wounded after losing to their London rivals Arsenal.
Villa have to be prepared for a reaction, which James looks capable of inspiring following his last performance against them.
Who has been the better right-back this season?
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Reece James’ tackling and passing were on point in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa
In Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, James put in a complete performance and was very unfortunate to be on the losing side.
James is perhaps the most well-rounded full-back in the Premier League, and Sunday’s London derby was not the first time that he made that case.
When Chelsea welcomed Villa to Stamford Bridge back in December, it was a very similar story. The Blues also lost that game 2-1, but it was another match where James should not have been on the losing team.
As per Sofascore, the right-back won six out of the seven tackles he attempted as well as all seven of his ground duels. Defensively, James was superb.
It was the same going forward. James managed to register an assist, create one big chance and make three key passes.
In total, the England international finished the game with 10 defensive contributions under his belt and a pass success rate of 95%. If you see a better performance from a full-back this season, it will probably be from James, who drops such displays quite frequently.
What’s your favourite aspect of Reece James’ game? 🤩
With Wesley Fofana available again after his suspension, Liam Rosenior could make changes to his backline. But with Villa being a dangerous side, he cannot afford to rest his captain and one of the team’s best players.
Because of James’ injury history, though, the 26-year-old starting on the bench during a midweek fixture can never be ruled out.
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