Reece James helped Chelsea to beat Copenhagen in the first leg of their last-16 Conference League tie on Thursday.
James has mostly played at right-back this season — his natural position — but Enzo Maresca started him in midfield at Parken Stadium.
It was a move that paid off, with the 25-year-old opening the score for Chelsea at the beginning of the second half.
After the match, Arsenal legend Martin Keown spoke about James, praising his performance in the middle of the park. While some may have been surprised by Maresca’s decision to start the defender in midfield, one of his former managers, Frank Lampard, would not have been.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Frank Lampard always believed Reece James could play in midfield
Lampard is currently managing Coventry City and is doing a fantastic job there, but the 46-year-old has also had two stints in the Stamford Bridge dugout.
During his time as Chelsea boss, Lampard used James as a right-back and right wing-back. However, the former midfielder was confident that he had the skill set needed to play in the engine room as well.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official website about James back in 2019, Lampard said: “Right-back would be his favoured position, whether it be there, right wing-back or right of a three. As he’s coming into the team, you’d see him there but he does have that all-round game that he could handle playing centrally in midfield if needs be.
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“At the moment we’ve got good players in there who are used to playing in there anyway, but he could always do that as he matures through his career.”
In his first spell managing Chelsea, Lampard was eventually sacked by Roman Abramovich, but the Blues legend still did some very good work at the club. That includes developing the likes of James and Mason Mount.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca also convinced Reece James can play in midfield
Like Lampard, Maresca also believes James has what it takes to be a successful midfielder. He showed that by starting the England international in the middle against Copenhagen and with what he said after the game.
When Maresca discussed James in his post-match interview, he said: “You can ask Reece, when I signed for Chelsea, the day after I sent him a video about seeing him as a midfielder. I see Reece as a midfielder.
“Since day one. I sent him a clip when he was on holiday about how he can be a midfielder. He has played in full-back, central defender, so the main target for us is to keep him fit.”
It will now be interesting to see what the Chelsea manager’s long-term plans are for his captain. With Romeo Lavia struggling to stay fit, perhaps James could get more opportunities in midfield in the future.
Lavia is back in training, but if he gets injured again, then James could be an option for Chelsea. Of course, the Blues skipper needs to remain fit himself, which he has done since returning from his last hamstring injury.