Out of Europe after a humiliating exit to the defending continental champions, in danger of missing next season’s Champions League and without their talismanic captain, Chelsea supporters will be cursing their luck at the moment.
Chelsea were always fighting a losing battle to stay in Europe after a first-leg collapse in Paris left them trailing Paris Saint-Germain 5-2, but they sought a response at the weekend against Newcastle United.
Little did the Blues know that an eighth Premier League defeat was in the offing, four of which have been at Stamford Bridge, where the Magpies had been winless since that Papiss Cissé-inspired performance in 2012.
The 1-0 loss was bad enough, as it left them with the 12th-best home record in the league and sixth in the overall table, outside the coveted top-five places. However, it soon emerged that Reece James had suffered a hamstring injury late on against the Magpies, which is expected to sideline the 26-year-old for several weeks.
Here, Sports Mole considers whether Liam Rosenior could have taken a leaf out of Enzo Maresca’s book by managing James’s minutes for Chelsea.
How did ex-Chelsea boss Maresca manage James?
Since the news of James’s latest hamstring setback broke, a few of Maresca’s remarks from last season have been replayed, with the most instructive coming after Chelsea’s Conference League comeback win over Real Betis.
The Blues’ captain, typically deployed in midfield by the Italian manager for much of the 2024-25 season, was among the substitutes for the continental final.
Although Cole Palmer’s inspired second-half showing caught the headlines, James’s half-time introduction for Malo Gusto, who had struggled in the opening 45 minutes, stabilised the Chelsea backline for a dominant performance.
In his on-field interview after the 4-1 win over Betis, Maresca reiterated that the 2021 Champions League winner’s workload had to be managed due to his history of muscle injuries.
According to Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old’s hamstring issues have worsened over the past three years, having previously undergone surgery in December 2023 that kept him out for about five months under Mauricio Pochettino.
This issue had to be managed in Maresca’s first and only full season at the club, during which James was absent for 25 matches for club and country due to further hamstring complaints.
This meant James hardly ever played two games in one week, seldom completed 90 minutes and often had to make do with midfield roles.
The result was increased game time for the 26-year-old during much of the 2025-26 season. He surprisingly played the full 90 minutes in a six-match Premier League streak between September and November, followed by a four-game league run in December.
However, James’s body has broken down again. So what did Rosenior do differently, if anything?
How has Rosenior managed James’s minutes?
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In truth, very little stands out between both managers’ deployment of James.
The Chelsea captain has played 85 minutes, 81, nine, 89 and three full 90-minute appearances across seven top-flight fixtures under the Englishman, two of which have come in a midfield role.
The English manager had also smartly managed the Blues captain during a tricky period in January when the West Londoners faced Crystal Palace, Napoli and West Ham United, utilising the 26-year-old for 85, 90 and nine minutes respectively, effectively giving him a breather against the Hammers.
The captain played an hour against Hull City in the FA Cup after missing two league matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United in the days leading up to the fourth round, and he was an unused substitute in the wildly exciting fifth-round triumph over Wrexham.
Maybe playing 90 minutes against Newcastle was ill-advised, but using James in a midfield role in that 1-0 loss – especially when Andrey Santos was an unused substitute and Romeo Lavia was in the squad – was probably a wrong move in hindsight.
Having previously managed James’s minutes in a similar way to the previous boss, that one mistake against the Magpies may now have long-term ramifications for the Chelsea skipper’s health – a disappointing outcome just when he seemed back to optimal fitness for club and country.