Chelsea: James’ red card should not undermine his importance

A rush of blood ran through the veins of the Chelsea fullback after the whistle, but this shouldn’t detract from Reece James’ significance to England.

England endured a mystifying evening against Denmark during its latest UEFA Nations League qualifying match. Early domination hurriedly turned to Harry Maguire’s late and desperately timed tackles earning his marching orders before the break. Kyle Walker then conceded a dubious penalty that Christian Eriksen converted, and from there it was uphill heave from the Lions.

The most unexpected event of the night came after the contest had completed. In a fit of apparent frustration, Reece James exchanged words with the referee that lead to the Chelsea man also receiving a red card. 

As unwise or out of character as the act may have been, it should no way undermine how brilliant he was for 90 minutes under the Wembley lights. His crossing cried out for anyone to connect with them, delivering with purpose and precision that was not matched by his teammates.

He never shied away, always willing to receive possession and probe forward, creating a strong link down the right with Mason Mount. It was a partnership made in Chelsea and carried over to England. It was temperament to his quality that Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench by Gareth Southgate, perhaps an indication that the England boss trusts James’ defensive abilities ahead of the Liverpool man.

Let’s not forget either, this was his first start for England. Declan Rice, the right back’s friend and former Chelsea colleague, had this to say about James’ performance:

"“The only way I can speak about Reece tonight is how well he played. He looked like he’d been out here for 30-40 caps.”"

Of course, the choice to approach an official at any moment is unwise, especially if you feel aggrieved by certain decisions—which England clearly did. James is still only 20 years of age and that aspect of his character will develop as he matures, he’s well aware the talking needs to be done on the pitch. His tweet after the incident was expectedly apologetic, yet was encouraging to see him take full acceptance of his mistake.

Despite the issue of disciplinary problems now staring Southgate in the face—James was the third to be banned during the qualifiers—it showed how the result hurt the players. Playing for your country is no longer a chore, James’ actions ramify the fact they want to do right by the badge.

His Man of the Match display bodes well not only for England, but for his club as well. Frank Lampard will have enjoyed the combination of his two prodigies and may want to emulate that at a domestic level. Mount is evidently a favourite to both managers, in spite of the negative social media reaction he unfairly receives. James is seemingly following a similar pathway to the top.

England has not been blessed with a settled right back since the Glen Johnson filled the void following Gary Neville’s retirement. Like London buses, three or four have come at once and is arguably Southgate’s strongest department. With Kieran Tripper mainly deployed on the left, Kyle Walker dropping into centreback and Alexander-Arnold down the pecking order, James is set to make the position his own. Dare we say there haven’t been many better crosses post-David Beckham than the boy from Redbridge?

He will be forced to step aside for the crucial fixture versus Belgium next month, instead using the period at Chelsea to demonstrate his value. James has age and ability in his corner; all he needs to do is remind everyone his worth beyond a reckless red card.