Enzo Maresca's System to Enhance Reece James as an Inverted Fullback

Pereira had the freedom to crash into the penalty box and take shots under Maresca, similar to James under Thomas Tuchel, albeit their starting positions were different.

Nevertheless, the liberty to venture into the penalty box at James' discretion will allow him to be in more goal-scoring positions, which will likely yield returns due to the right-back's immense shooting ability that lit up the Premier League in the 2021/22 season.

Enthusiasm Peaks for a Promising Season

James' 2024/25 campaign will depend on his capacity to fend off injuries. As he showed against Nottingham Forest late last season, his on and off-ball quality has not faded despite sitting on the sidelines for a lengthy period.

With a more than capable backup in Malo Gusto, Maresca will ensure to rotate the right-back partners to prevent overburdening either player. If the Chelsea manager is dissatisfied with Gusto's performance in this role, he also has the option to invert Cucurella from left-back.

Nevertheless, as long as James is fit, Maresca will aim to bring the best out of him. And in this inverted fullback role, James might re-discover a new zenith that will, once again, scintillate the Premier League.