Reece James in centre midfield is something I have always been a fan of.
Granted, he is one of the best right backs in the world when fit and on form, but I genuinely believe he could also grow to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the world too, and he is a profile we lack in a physical sense.
James on playing in midfield: “I don’t decide where I play. It’s up to the manager and the rest is down to us. I’m fairly used to the role and with time I’ll improve.”
I am actually pleased and impressed hearing that Maresca has always seen James as a midfielder, because as you will all know, I have been saying that for years. I know some reacted quite negatively to Maresca saying this about James but for me, I’m a fan.
The only negative about having James is midfield is you then take away his attacking threat and good crossing ability down the right and also, in midfield he is going to be more combative which perhaps risks more impact injuries.
However, what it does reduce is muscular injuries because if you get him sitting in front of the back four where he can be highly effective, then you are reducing the bombing up and down the flanks element that he has to do when playing as a full back.
And for Chelsea, having James playing as a defensive midfielder gives us much needed defensive stability on transitions. If you are asking James to stick then you have his physicality and reading of the game in the middle. This is the profile we lack in midfield.
We know he is a battler and a tough tackler, and we know he is a good passer of the ball. But as proven in recent games, he is also one of the few players who has a goal-scoring threat in our team from deeper in midfield. James has that ‘Frank Lampard’ threat whereas he can arrive at the right time to receive the ball and score from outside the box, something we lack.
So for me, I am pleased when I read quotes like this from Maresca…
“I sent Reece a clip when he was on holiday about how he can be a midfielder. He has played in full-back, central defender, so the main target for us is to keep him fit. When you watch a player you sometimes need to use imagination and imagine a player doing something. I watched some of his games when he was on loan at Wigan where he scored a fantastic goal from 25 or 30 metres. The best thing about Reece at the moment is he is helping the team with leadership.”
James will be a real goal-scoring threat if playing in midfield regularly.
I’m not saying always play him in midfield, I am equally as happy to have him as a right back. But his stature and profile is exactly what we don’t have in the defensive midfield area. Not a bad problem to have or choice to have to make but the reality is, before we can even start making decisions like this about James, we just need him fit for a sustained period first and foremost.
