Reece James will be hoping to start in Chelsea’s London derby against Arsenal this weekend.
Being Chelsea captain and having come through the club’s academy, James will be eager to lead his side out against one of their fiercest rivals.
If the 25-year-old does start at the Emirates on Sunday, it will be interesting to see where he plays.
James was used in midfield in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Copenhagen last week, but one Arsenal legend clearly sees him as a right-back.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Ian Wright thinks Reece James has ‘everything’ as a right-back
While James plays for one of Arsenal’s biggest rivals, that has not stopped Ian Wright from praising him in the past.
James trained on Wednesday so could be available for Sunday after missing Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Leicester City last weekend.
And Wright’s assessment of the Englishman back in the 2022/23 season perhaps shows where Maresca needs to start him at the Emirates.
MORE CHELSEA STORIES
When Wright discussed James a couple of years ago, he said: “He’s got everything. Defending, attacking, technical ability. Everything. Everything in respects of a right-back right now, I think him and [Achraf] Hakimi are the best in the world right now. He’s just brilliant, he’s a fantastic player.”
Ultimately, with the attacking threat that the England international can bring down the right flank, you want to see him in that area of the pitch, putting balls into the box.
It feels like a bit of a waste playing him in the middle, though James did show that he can also cause problems there after scoring against Copenhagen. But in the long run, James has to be Chelsea’s first-choice right-back.
Photo by Harry Murphy - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images
What Enzo Maresca has said about Reece James playing in midfield
While James is obviously a top right-back, for Enzo Maresca, he is more than capable of playing in the engine room.
In fact, it was something that the Chelsea boss told his captain when he first joined the club.
Maresca spoke about using James as a midfielder after the Copenhagen game, saying: “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.”
Again, though, his future at Chelsea should be in defence. The Blues will not find too many right-backs who can defend and attack as well as James, who must now start in his natural position against Arsenal this Sunday.