Why Chelsea's Reece James should be considered England's best right-back

 

 

Mauricio Pochettino will have been aware of the risk of making Reece James Chelsea captain back in August. A new skipper was needed at Stamford Bridge following Cesar Azpilicueta's departure and James was the logical choice, to an extent. The England international is a Chelsea youth academy product and any fan of any club loves a local lad rising through the ranks to captain their side. 

 

The risk with James, though, stems from his injury issues. This came to pass in Chelsea's opening weekend 1-1 draw with Liverpool, where the 23-year-old lasted 76 minutes before pulling up with a hamstring injury. He didn't start another league game until the 4-1 win at Tottenham earlier this month. 

 

And yet upon his return to the starting XI, James proved once more just how important he is for Chelsea. While much of the focus from the victory at Tottenham was on Spurs' implosion and decision to play a high-line with nine men, James put in a solid shift both on and off the ball in north London prior to his 77th-minute withdrawal. He followed this up with another superb display against Manchester City on Sunday where Cole Palmer stole the plaudits for his match-winning penalty deep into second half injury time. 

 

Nevertheless, it was a game that James really showcased the defensive qualities to his game as he made more tackles (5) than any other player. Crucially, was that he excelled up against wing-wizard Jeremy Doku. Much of the focus ahead of Sunday's Stamford Bridge showdown was whether Doku would turn in another performance of the highest standard having been directly involved in five of City's six goals against Bournemouth the previous week, assisting four. 

 

What fans witnessed was Doku's worst rated display in a Premier League start of his career as he returned a WhoScored rating of just 6.92. The Belgian may have completed four dribbles in the 4-4 draw with Chelsea, but he was restricted to one shot and failed to create a chance prior to his substitution in the 59th minute. In short, Doku was marshalled brilliantly by James, who not only kept the summer signing in check but was able to get forward and support the offensive well having provided the assist for Raheem Sterling's first half goal. 

 

These performances upon his return to fitness outline just why James is one of the first names on the teamsheet when he is available to Pochettino. The issue then stems from the inconsistency with which James can be selected. Indeed, he only started 14 league games for the Blues last season due to injury and the problem remains that with each passing week he may again pull up with another ailment. 

 


 

Having failed to complete 90 minutes following his return to fitness, James then made the wise call to snub Gareth Southgate's call-up for the November internationals against Malta and North Macedonia, and for good reason. England are already guaranteed a place at Euro 2024, though they'll want to ensure top-seed status for next month's draw so are likely to push for victory in both games. 

 

Southgate has suggested that James' spot in the squad is at risk having turned down the chance to feature for his nation this month and with ample competition for the right-back spot in the form of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has to an extent put his Euro 2024 place in jeopardy. Yet there is also an argument to be made that of the four high-profile right-backs Southgate can select, James remains the best of the bunch when he is available for selection. 

 

Despite a lack of game time this term, James put in an excellent shift to do all he could to limit the Spurs attack. Granted, this was a Spurs side that saw Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie sent off either side of half time, but one that has still netted 24 times this season. The job he carried out on Doku to force Pep Guardiola to alter his attack on the hour mark too cannot be overstated. 

 

Combined with his attacking output despite now starting at right-back rather than right wing-back as he so often did last season, with James averaging 2.6 key passes per 90, the sixth most of those to have registered at least 200 minutes of game time, and you have a player who is willing to get forward without a second invitation who also won't shirk his defensive responsibilities. That he is doing so in a deeper role than the one he is accustomed to points to a player prepared to tailor his game accordingly in order to carry out the relevant duties for the good of the team and this desire to match the demands of the manager in question stands him in good stead for both club and country. 

 

Crucially for James and Chelsea is that he now do all he can to remain fit. Despite Southgate's admission that his role in the England squad is at risk, James needs to avoid the sort of fixtures that the Three Lions should win his absence to focus on fully recovering from yet another hamstring injury. As the last two league starts have shown, he continues to prove why he should arguably be considered the best English right-back available to Southgate. Keeping him fit and firing will be key for Chelsea in the second half of the season and England in Germany next summer.

Why Chelsea's Reece James should be considered England's best right-back