Reece James: How do Chelsea fit right-back into their team after injury return? | OneFootball

Reece James made his long-awaited return from injury for Chelsea at the weekend.

The Blues captain has played just 12 matches since the start of last season, fighting various injuries. He was set to miss the start of the 2024-25 campaign through suspension, but has also sat out with a hamstring injury.

While James was fit enough to feature against Liverpool on Sunday, he may have been thrown in sooner that planned. Chelsea had a bit of a defensive crisis with Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana both suspended.

With Malo Gusto pushed over to left-back, James starting on the right and played 53 minutes before coming off. During his time on the pitch, James had nine final third entries — the second most among Chelsea players. He also had six crosses, more than any Chelsea player, and 14 passes in the final third.

James won three of his five duels, including one aerial duel and made one tackle and interception. There were some question marks about his defending for Curtis Jones’ goal, as he failed to correctly mark the goalscorer. But the main positive would have been that James was back, and feeling good.

“It was great to be involved again,” James said of his return.

“I missed playing in big games and playing against big players so it was a big step.

“It’s been a long time since I started a game, and starting here was always going to be tough, but I’m feeling good.

“The road to recovery has been tough – it definitely hasn’t been easy. I hope to stay strong, keep going, and help the team achieve what we want to achieve.”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has already claimed that James cannot play two games per week in his return, so certain matches will have to be prioritised. But which games should Chelsea prioritise? And what do they do with Gusto?

Gusto had a strong season in 2023-24, deputising for the injury James. For periods, he was Chelsea’s best player not named Cole Palmer.

The Frenchman ended the campaign with six Premier League assists and 32 chances created, ranking in the top five for both metrics among Chelsea players. Defensively, he was also fourth for tackles at Chelsea with 55 in total, and fifth for possessions won in the defensive third (76).

So far this season, Gusto has been a lot more reserved offensively. He’s yet to assist and has created just one chance in the Premier League. But he has been stronger defensively.

Only Moises Caicedo (28) has made more tackles in the Premier League this season than Gusto’s 16 among Chelsea players. He also ranks fourth for interceptions (seven) and in the top 10 for possessions won across the three thirds of the pitch.

The right-back role is definitely more defensive under Maresca, and this would benefit James. One of the dangers to James has been his attacking style of play, running up and down the pitch, putting a lot of strain on his body. In a more reserved role, Chelsea may help James avoid reoccurrence of his injuries.

This is something James can do. In the 2021-22 campaign, when James last played more than 20 games in the Premier League, the Englishman averaged 1.59 tackles per 90 minutes and 2.41 possessions won in the middle third. He ranked fifth among Chelsea players for passes attempted (1,379) and completed (1,235), while averaging 95.5 touches per 90. Only Thiago Silva averaged more touches per 90 among Chelsea players that season.

Up next, Chelsea have Panathinaikos in the Europa Conference League, and it will be a tall order to expect James to start that game. The Blues then face Newcastle United back-to-back in the Premier League and EFL Cup. The EFL Cup could be the more likely place for James to start, with less on the line. Cucurella will be back to play left-back in the Premier League game, so Gusto can go on the right.

Maresca could then prioritise the Europa Conference League game against Noah over Premier League clashes with Manchester United and Arsenal. While these are big matches, Gusto is more than capable, and more reliable than a Reece James trying to get back up to speed. Chelsea need to get James’ return right to ensure this isn’t just another false dawn.

After the November international break, it then becomes a question of James vs Gusto. James is the captain, so you’d expect him to start. But Gusto has been reliable, and Cucurella has been as good on the left.

Maresca did try playing James in midfield during pre-season, so that might be something he brings out at some point during his tenure. Although it’s worth noting the experiments weren’t really successful.