Chelsea picked up a well-fought 2-1 win against Palmeiras in the Club World Cup. Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 16th minute, before Estevao, who is set to join the Blues in a few days, equalised for the Brazilian side. The winner for tTe Blues came via an own goal, after a deflected shot from Malo Gusto went in, booking their place in the semi-finals.
However, there was one surprising name missing from the team that left fans worried. Reece James has been in excellent form recently but was left out at the last minute by Enzo Maresca due to an injury he picked up during the warm-up.
The English right-back, who is known to be injury-prone, has raised concerns once again following this issue. But after recent comments from the Chelsea manager, fans might be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
James' issue has been described as 'tightness' and the club did not want to take a risk. According to Nizaar Kinsella, Maresca said:
"Reece James felt something during the warm up. We felt it was tightness so we decided not to take any risk with him."
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca provides update on Reece James’ injury
James missed a large number of games last season due to injury troubles. However, following his return in January, he had remained largely fit. Although the return date for this new issue is still uncertain, it doesn’t appear to be a major one, which is a relief.
Interestingly, Maresca has preferred to deploy James in a midfield role in recent matches. In the last game as well, he was set to play in that position but was later replaced by Andrey Santos, with Gusto taking the right-back role.
It will be interesting to see whether the Chelsea captain can make a comeback for the next matchup or if he needs to spend some time on the sidelines due to the injury. The Blues are set to face the in-form Brazilian side Fluminense in the semifinals of the tournament. It will also be a reunion with Thiago Silva, who continues to defy Father Time.