Enzo Maresca’s Reece James decision is causing 3 separate problems for Chelsea right now | OneFootball

It’s the 24th day in June – time to check out how our number 24 is getting on this month.

Not everything has gone smoothly for this team since January, but Reece James is on a positive trend without doubt.

Injuries mean James is managed – but looking fitter than ever

Reece James applauds Chelsea fans. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Since coming back from his latest injury at the turn of the year, the captain has been able to play his longest run of games in years without issues. That’s included making a return for England too.

He’s still being treated very carefully by the coaching staff, as you’d expect. He didn’t start more than game a week during the close to the Premier League season, and it was actually quite unusual to see him play on Monday and Friday in both Club World Cup games last week – even if he was subbed off in both. It will be very interesting to see if he starts a third in a row tonight – we very much doubt it.

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James position continues to cause debate

In that second CWC game, the defeat to Flamengo, James was used in midfield from the start. Now that his injuries are a lesser concern (touch wood), the positional debate is where the interest really is with James.

The frustration expressed that James is being used out of position in midfield is not just about not seeing the best of him. The knock on effects of it are that a) the out of form Malo Gusto gets into the team at right back and b) midfielders we want to see like Andrey Santos are left on the bench.

From the perspective of most fans, using James in midfield therefore brings 3 negatives, yet manager Enzo Maresca continues to persist with it.