It is only a matter of when, not if Reece James inherits the Chelsea starting crown. What questions need to be asked of the young fullback?
It is hard to believe that Reece James is approaching only his third season as a professional footballer. He excelled on loan at Wigan and much was expected of him upon his return, even considering the step up in competition. He mostly met those expectations as he looks like the answer to right back for years to come. What questions need to be asked of him before the new season?
1. When will he take the throne from Cesar Azpilicueta?
It is rare for any club to have such a clearly defined pathway into the starting XI. Cesar Azpilicueta has been an iron man for Chelsea but those miles on the body tend to wear hard. Even being the captain and consistent as the sunrise, there has been a sense for at least two seasons that a good deputy was needed to prepare to take the mantle from the Spaniard.
Chelsea could find no better deputy than James. The young English fullback has nearly seamlessly slotted into the Blues squad with many even thinking he is a starter over Azpilicueta already. While that is not quite true yet, it could very well be by the end of the season. Though in this case, beating out Azpilicueta to the starting XI may be more of a 51-49 split than truly knocking him off the throne.
The main thing holding James back is quite simply himself. James is very good. He knows he is very good. At times that translates to a sort of overconfidence on the pitch where he thinks he has something covered but he doesn’t. That is one of those things that is simply ironed out with experience of knowing what tricks work when and where. James has the tool box and already knows how to use most of the tools, he just needs to get better at finding the right moments to push on to that next level.
2. Will he become the set piece taker with Anthony Barry’s arrival?
It is no secret that Chelsea and set pieces have really not been friends since Steve Holland left for England. It really is no coincidence that the Blues got worse and worse each season as the Three Lions suddenly became set piece masters.
This has come at roughly the same time Chelsea should have been packed with set piece stars. Willian and Marcos Alonso have nasty free kicks. Mason Mount is also no slouch. Given Reece James’ ability to whip in a near perfect cross, he should be seen as an option as well.
In fact, James was that option throughout his first season at Wigan. Almost regardless of the set piece, James was the man to take it. Often times, it resulted in a goal or at least a chance which is more than Chelsea can say in the last three seasons.
A large reason behind that was the coach Anthony Barry. Behind the scenes, Barry worked Wigan as a whole and James more specifically. He has to be seen as a big reason for the Latics’ success that season as well as James’ development.
Many fans cried for a “defensive specialist” coach over the summer. While there honestly is not really such a thing, Barry joining does offer another solid new voice behind the scenes. And while being a “defensive specialist” coach is a bit of a myth, a set piece coach is a very real thing.
If Anthony can come in and help Chelsea become masters of the dead ball, then he will have done his part. It is likely that he will look to build this around James who should already know the ideas and routines he will be bringing to the team.
Is this the season James returns to set piece duties? Does that bring him up a notch in the hierarchy? Time will tell.
3. Will Frank Lampard test him in midfield more/ever?
James finished his season at Wigan playing largely in midfield. Frank Lampard tried him there a few times late on, but never fully committed to the idea. The closest the manager got was tasking James to invert as a wingback and help protect Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho late this season.
Lampard has talked about a few players being capable of playing in midfield who are not really midfielders, but the closet he got with any of them was James. Even then, it was only fleeting glimpses or tactical shifts.
With Chelsea pumping their attack full of new, exciting, and direct talent, the Blues will need to ensure that their defense is not left completely exposed in the pursuit of goals. Towards the end of Lampard’s first campaign, the idea was to use N’Golo Kante as the holding midfielder while two more attacking eights pushed up ahead.
That plan worked until Kante’s fitness again became an issue. With Kante out, the Blues lack a player capable of playing that holding role behind two eights. If they are unable to find a solution in the market (such as Declan Rice), then Lampard must consider James for the role.
Like any positional switch, there will be positives and negatives. James will be guaranteed more minutes and he certainly has the ability to develop into a phenomenal holding midfielder. The downside is that it reigns in his attacking gusto, makes it harder to use his crossing, and it would require both first team right backs starting.
Still, it is an idea worth trying some days if Lampard does not want to switch to 3-4-3 and lose one of his many attackers.
What questions do you think need to be asked of Reece James? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!