Reece James insists that Chelsea has “sudden” under Enzo Maresca this season, despite the recent criticism of the Italians from Club supporters.
The blues had a difficult children’s crosses under Maresca in the previous season, after he was picked by Leicester City from last season as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino, but an impressive start to the Premier League campaign contributed to silence.
Chelsea flirted briefly with an early title race, but their overwhelming pre-season form returned at the turn of the year and they have fought for positive achievements and results since then.
Such a dramatic fall has provided criticism from sections of the Chelsea finger base, which are still convinced of the progress by Maresca. The blues are still looking for the Top Five Five and Europa Conference League, but their latest demonstrations leave much to be desired.
However, the club captain James, who recently returned to the team as a midfielder after another injury campaign, believes that the West London giants under Maresca move in the right direction.
“Our goal is to play the Champions League football next year,” said James to Sky Sport In front of crucial clashes in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford. “I think there is more of us, it is early.
“We learned a lot this season and are still learning. We got sudden this year and consistently fought against the best teams in the league.
“I think the team’s balance is the key to have different players for different roles. Everyone complements themselves and that helps in the place where we are so far. Hopefully, our services reflect how far we have come.
“The way the head coach is with the team, how he wants to play and how passionate he is makes it pleasant. Our idea and our focus remains the same, no matter who we play.”
The fifth place could be enough for Chelsea to secure their return to the Champions League. The coupling of the qualification with the leading competition of Europe by winning the conference league would ultimately be an impressive debut season for Maresca.
James, who recently returned to England under the former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel, will strive to stay too fit for the rest of the campaign to make Chelsea’s advance easier.