Reece James scored a beautiful free kick for England last night to open the scoring in their eventual 3-0 win over Latvia in the World Cup qualifiers.
James didn’t really celebrate the goal, which was puzzling to many because it was such a good goal to score.
It wasn’t just us who were puzzled by it. Former England defender Lee Dixon was surprised – and in fact seemed a little annoyed by the decision to not even crack a smile after a special moment.
“Well I’m not too sure about his celebration. If I’d scored a goal like that I’d still be running around Wembley. Absolutely top drawer. It’s got everything on it. The keeper has a little look and a little think, but he can get nowhere near this… a dreamboat goal,” Dixon said on ITV’s live coverage of the game.
“I don’t know if there’s anything in that celebration or the lack of, but hopefully he enjoyed it on the inside.”
As some online joked – “James didn’t celebrate because he used to play for Latvia.”
In the post-match interview with ITV, James was quizzed about the goal and the lack of celebration, to which he responded:
“I saw the wall and I felt I could bend it round and, thankfully, I managed to hit the back of the net. I was a bit surprised it actually hit the net. I thought the keeper could have maybe got there, but you know, looking at the replay, it was probably tough.
“It’s been a long time, I’ve had a frustrating two and a half years.
“So I’m happy to get called up for my country again and I’m happy to play.”
So it sounds like James was just too frustrated and sad to celebrate and likely just felt a complete mix of emotions when the ball hit the net.
This will be a mix of everything that has happened in the last few years, mainly his injury struggles.
But James is a winner, and you can also bet that a lot of these frustrations are down to how bad things have been at Chelsea recently, and the weight of wearing the captains armband amongst it all.
James is now 25, and now is the time for him to step up. I see him maturing, I see him developing as a captain. And now all we need is sustained fitness on the pitch for club and country. Because if he can do that, he will be unstoppable in this game.
James was named Man of the Match last night in his first game for England in two and a half years, and he was superb for his Uncle Tommy Tuchel. Tuchel had his ‘Reecey’ back, and both of them looked over the moon about it, well, at least Tuchel did!
“There cannot be any doubt about Reece’s quality, it’s the highest level,” said Tuchel following his performance in the World Cup qualifier vs Latvia. “We were in close contact in the last weeks.
“We were clear he’d trained without pause and if he didn’t play it was the choice of the club, protecting him. We knew he was in a good space mentally.
“If you play a dominant match like today he can be, like in the last 20 [minutes], a hybrid midfielder and help to create an overload because he has the quality on the ball.
“Once it’s an open game and a lot of transitions through midfield I’m not so sure it would suit him perfectly.”
So it was a mix of emotions for Reece, but as a Chelsea fan you cannot help but smile to see him playing under Tuchel again. The pair have always had the greatest relationship and of course, James described him recently as the best manager he has ever played under – a video that was oddly deleted and has not resurfaced since! Hmmmm…
