Reece James seems to have grown into a more vocal leader on the pitch, which is good news for Chelsea.
Chelsea claimed victory in their Premier League opener against Fulham.
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Chelsea captain Reece James was furious at Pedro Neto for his lazy defending during their 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday.
The Blues headed into the break with a 2-1 lead at half-time at Craven Cottage, thanks to Joao Pedro’s early opener and Morgan Rogers’ first official goal as a Blue in the 41st minute.
Cole Palmer doubled Chelsea’s lead just four minutes into the second half, but it did not last long. Taking advantage of Robert Sanchez’s poor shot-stopping, Gonzalo Garcia scored an easy header from the six-yard box off a goalkeeper rebound.
The goal inspired the hosts to push harder to level the score, while Chelsea dug deeper to defend their one-goal cushion.
Both sides introduced fresh legs into the game not long after. For Chelsea, these included Neto and Estevao, who came on for Malo Gusto and Cole Palmer in the 78th and 83rd minutes, respectively.
The two paired up on the right flank, Neto as a wingback and Estevao as the right-side number 10.
In the 88th minute, Chelsea had the opportunity to utilise the two wide players in a counter-attacking situation.
Reece James not happy with Pedro Neto's reaction to losing possession
Neto drove with the ball, found Estevao near the touchline, and made a good underlapping run with clear space to exploit on the right flank.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be a miscommunication between the two. Estevao made a short pass, expecting Neto to come short, while the latter continued his run, expecting a through ball. The play ended with a Fulham interception.
Neto understandably showed his frustration after making a good run. The problem is that he continued to walk back in frustration while Fulham were on the counter.
Bear in mind that Neto played as a wing-back in this match. Off the ball, he was part of the back five.
James, who played in midfield, had to cover the space left by Neto, lunged into a tackle to intercept what could have been a dangerous through ball, and recovered possession.
The Chelsea captain was visibly upset that Neto did not immediately run back into defensive position after Chelsea lost the ball earlier.
James and Neto exchanged words on the pitch while the ball was still in play, with the former appearing to react by pressing his finger to his mouth before nodding.
It is unclear what was said, but many fans were likely not pleased with Neto’s lack of defensive effort.
Emotions tend to run high on the pitch, so a few heated exchanges between teammates are not uncommon. It is great, however, to see James become a more vocal leader in setting the standard on the pitch.