The English manager Thomas Tuchel has become the youngest figure to question Enzo Maresca’s decision to use Reece James in midfield.
James, who was used in the role of the right-back, in which he blinded Chelsea under Tuchel, scored a wonderful free kick on Monday to enable a 3-0 win over Latvia, and impressed a hybrid role that has a handful of opportunities to drift over the field.
In his preferred position, a rarity has been used for James in recent weeks, since blues manager Enzo Maresca has publicly insisted that he sees the club captain more as a midfielder than as a right-back. The legendary former central defender John Terry has publicly questioned this judgment.
After the game Latvia, Tuchel James’ immense skills recognized, but, like Terry, insisted that he should stay in the right -back.
When asked whether he ever thought about using James in midfield in Chelsea, Tuchel said: “Very, very rarely with Chelsea. If you play a dominant match, as it can be a hybrid midfielder in the last 20 minutes, he comes from left or right full -back.
“He is very confident. If there is an open game and there are many transitions in midfield, I am not so sure whether it suits him perfectly.
“There can be no doubt about Reeces quality. It is the highest level. We have been in close contact in the past few weeks and were certain that he had been training for weeks. When he didn’t play, it was the choice of the club to protect him. We knew that he was in good condition.”
James, who missed a total of 50 games in the past 18 months due to injuries, insisted that he had no preference in his position, and he was simply happy to be back on the field.
“Football is football for me,” he said.
“As I said, I’ve been out for so long for so long. When I play a midfield, when I play right -back, I have a job to help the team and perform to the best of strength.”