Enzo Maresca and the Chelsea squad are absolutely loving Reece James at the moment. The Blues captain has been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons, but he has not suffered any new issues since mid-January with that partly down to his role changing.
James made his name as a full-back with real explosivity that can contribute in the defensive and attacking third, but his body just does not allow him to play like that anymore. He remains an excellent footballer however, with Maresca as such, seeing him as more of a midfielder.
That experiment started away at Aston Villa last month with the Chelsea boss again deploying him in the middle of the park against Copenhagen in a Europa League last-16 first leg. Not only did James help his side control the majority of the game but he also scored in the 2-1 victory with Maresca a huge fan of his recent displays.
"He is in a very good mood. He played very good against Aston Villa and again tonight. We know how important he is for us; he is our captain, a fantastic player but we all know the most important thing for Reece is that we need him fit. It is our duty and our target to keep him fit until the end because for sure, he is going to help us.
"Tonight, again, he played very good, scored a goal. He can play in many positions because the good players can play in many positions. At this moment, we are using him as a midfielder and he is doing very well."
He added: "So, you can ask Reece; when I signed with Chelsea, probably the day after, I sent him a video about seeing him as a midfielder. I see Reece as a midfielder, not now - since day one, before I met him for the first time, he was on holiday. I sent him a clip about him playing as a midfielder.
"I mentioned Reece playing as a midfielder a long time ago. He is playing there now but the good thing is he played this year already as a full-back, as a centre-back and in the central midfielder. The main target for us is to help him be fit all season."
James was also clearly fond of his performance in the engine room and he later posted to Instagram "huge team performance tonight, thanks to the travelling fans," the caption read. Other Chelsea players were quick to reply with Pedro Neto writing, "What a player [heart eyes and fire emoji] while Marc Cucurella simply said, "Siuuuu [fire emoji]."
Trevoh Chalobah also responded by saying, "Serious tekk." Based on those three replies, it is clear his Chelsea teammates are big fans of the new role. It has also given Maresca a solution to Romeo Lavia's injury woes with the Belgian still absent.
Lavia has struggled to feature consistently since his £53million move from Southampton, but he has looked bright in limited minutes this season. His absence has subsequently left Maresca short of options in midfield but with James preferred centrally now, that no longer looks to be the case.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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