One of the less covered stats from Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Everton is that Reece James played a third full 90 minutes in seven days, and Enzo Maresca has spoken about it.
James has suffered with incessant injury woes throughout his time at Stamford Bridge.
He recently passed a year injury-free at Chelsea, and it does feel like he has turned over a new leaf in that regard.
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Maresca has used his captain in a number of roles this season. James likes playing as both a midfielder and right-back, which makes him an invaluable tool for the Chelsea boss.
And what he has been telling Maresca points to this run of fitness possibly being the new norm.
Enzo Maresca shares what Reece James has been telling him
Maresca’s post-game breakdown gave us plenty to talk about, but it was something he said in passing about James that might fly under the radar.
Discussing James’ busy week in a blue shirt, Maresca revealed what the captain has been saying to him.
Reece James during Chelsea v Arsenal - Premier League
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
As Football London report, he said: “Yeah, he’s asking for more. He’s getting better and better so it’s a good feeling for us because we said many times that he’s an important player for us.”
James’ body has let him down over the years, but right now, he’s getting no signals that he needs to rest. The opposite in fact.
That bodes well for Chelsea. On his day, James is as good as they come.
Maresca’s explosive post-Everton outburst
It wasn’t all positive despite Chelsea picking up all three points.
In fact, it was quite a startling press conference from Maresca, where he called out… someone, for not being behind his team this week.
Enzo Maresca’s explosive ’48 hours’ rant has everyone talking 😶
Who do you think the Chelsea boss was referring to?
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He said: “The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us.”
When asked for clarification on who he was talking about, Maresca simply responded: “In general. In general.”
An odd end to a great day for the Blues.
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