Chelsea captain Reece James has fond memories going up against the Blues’ next opponents Burnley.
Enzo Maresca takes his side to Turf Moor on Saturday, knowing that a win will send Chelsea into second place.
James will be hoping to start the Premier League fixture after being left on the bench for Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break.
James is in a battle with Malo Gusto to be the team’s first-choice right-back, with the latter in good form right now.
Reece James scored ‘phenomenal’ goal in Chelsea’s impressive 4-0 win against Burnley
Chelsea had a very successful trip to Turf Moor back in the 2021/22 season, winning 4-0 that afternoon.
James put in a terrific performance, scoring one goal and providing one assist. He hit the ball with such conviction for his goal that Paul Merson left the game believing that the defender could play as a centre-forward.
When Merson spoke about James’ strike, he said: “What a goal by Reece James. This lad could play centre-forward… It’s a phenomenal finish, so much composure.”
Maresca will be hoping to see more of the same on Saturday if he decides to go with James instead of Gusto.
Gusto recently scored his first goal for Chelsea and will now be aiming to be as threatening as James when going forward.
Chelsea defender Reece James celebrating goal against Burnley
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
A more in-depth look at Reece James’ stats from 2022 Turf Moor affair
James’ performance against Burnley was a pretty complete one. The 25-year-old offered a lot in attack, but he was also very solid defensively.
According to Sofascore, James was not dribbled past once, while he also managed to win most of his ground and aerial duels.
Reece James vs Burnley Total
Minutes 70
Goals 1
Assists 1
Big chances created 1
Key passes 1
Shots 2
Tackles (won) 1 (1)
Clearances 2
Blocked shots 1
Ground duels (won) 6 (4)
Aerial duels (won) 3 (2)
Dribbled past 0
Had James managed to stay fit, Chelsea’s season could have looked a lot different. Nevertheless, they still had a good campaign under Thomas Tuchel.
That year, Chelsea finished third in the Premier League table and also managed to win the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. They made it to two domestic cup finals as well, but the Blues lost both against Liverpool.
With James fit again, hopefully he can help bring even more success to Stamford Bridge.