Chelsea captain Reece James was “feeling good” ahead of a “difficult” season opener against Fulham in the Premier League on August 24.
The Blues secured a convincing 3-1 win in the final pre-season match against Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge. Several players were involved for the first time in pre-season after their late returns, including James, who stayed on the pitch for around an hour.
James described the win as a “good performance” from the team, although he admitted he still needed time to find his rhythm after his late pre-season arrival.
“I’m happy to be back out there, and the season starts this time in a week,” the defender told Chelsea’s in-house media.
“The break’s been pretty short, so I felt pretty good out there yesterday. The conditions were tough. It was super hot, but I’m feeling good.
“It’s still early; there was a bit of rust still to come off, but yesterday was a good step.”
There is not much time for James and the seven others, who only joined the pre-season last week, to prepare for the season-opening match against west London neighbours Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, August 24.
This is especially true for summer signings Morgan Rogers, Jordan Henderson, Pep Chavarria, Maxence Lacroix, and Valentin Barco, who must not only get up to speed quickly but also adapt to a new system at a new club. Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez also only recently rejoined the squad.
James admitted that starting the season with a local derby, with Fulham now under the new management of Álvaro Arbeloa, could prove challenging but exciting.
“It’s a super difficult London derby to start off our Premier League campaign,” said the Chelsea captain, “but we’re excited, and the preparation for that will start pretty soon. I can’t wait!”
James’ response to Alonso’s praise
In an earlier interview, Alonso was full of praise for James, praising the defender’s “personality, leadership, experience, quality, composure, and competitiveness”.
He also highlighted James’ versatility and style flexibility that make him a valuable asset to the team.
This unsurprisingly pleased James. It means a lot coming from a manager and an ex-player of his calibre,” the England international responded.
“It means a lot, so hopefully I can give my all for him and deliver when I’m needed most.”
A James conundrum for Alonso to solve
James’ versatility, which Alonso spoke very highly of, is an interesting point.
There is, of course, a very small sample size of how Alonso may use James in his 3-4-2-1 system, and it was in midfield.
James played alongside Moises Caicedo in central midfield, a role he has already played on many occasions under previous head coaches.
Naturally a right full-back, James can also be an option on the right side of the back three and perhaps even a wing-back.
That said, the 26-year-old’s recent injury record, particularly his hamstring issues, may lead to Alonso’s reluctance to field him in the more demanding wing-back role.
Chelsea have Marco Palestra, who looked great in recent games in this role, albeit on the left, as well as Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto. Geovany Quenda has also played in this position.
The right centre-back role arguably suits James most, since he has the physicality and the defensive prowess to win one-on-one duels, but this limits his attacking contribution. Given that he is arguably the best crosser in the team, it is a waste of his well-rounded skill set.
James offers a lot defensively in midfield. Still, Chelsea have natural midfielders who could progress the ball better than he can.
But after all, he is the club captain and one of the most technically gifted players in this squad. Alonso will make room for James in his plans, and it will be interesting to see how he does it.
Be the first to comment