Unfortunately, we must stop comparing Reece James to Trent Alexander-Arnold

Reece James is a world-class player. He is one of, if not THE best in the world in his position. Both defensively strong and offensively creative, he provides the complete package for Chelsea, hence their decision to make him club captain last season.

However, the growing concern with Reece James is, and has always been, his poor injury track record. Oftentimes, it is unfair to use a player's injury record as an indicator to their quality but it is simply impossible to engage in discourse about Reece James without bringing up his injury record.

So, it is unfortunate to say this, but the comparisons between him and Trent Alexander-Arnold must stop. There is one clear winner here and it's not James.

We must stop comparing Reece James to Trent Alexander-Arnold

Reece James is a better player than Trent Alexander-Arnold. This is fair to say, James is the best right-back in the world, after all.

However, it is getting to the point of boasting about a swimming pool in the coldest winter. What is the point of hyping Reece James up when he virtually never plays?

For context, Reece James was promoted to the Chelsea first team in 2018. In six years in the first team, he has only made 108 Premier League appearances. This is despite being Chelsea's best player in terms of talent, so his missed appearances are solely down to injury, not rotational issues.

As per Transfermarkt, Reece James has missed 119 matches due to injury. Therefore, he has missed more matches than he has played. This is not a coincidence and it must not be overlooked. It counts for something, after all.

The frustration is certainly a testament to his quality. Chelsea fans would not be disappointed at his injury record if he was a standard player. However, to make comparisons to world-class players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, the minimum requirement is that James actually plays football.

Hopefully James' current injury is his last. He is currently missing from action due to a hamstring injury, resulting in missing the opening Premier League game of the season against Manchester City. He also missed the EURO 2024 competition due to injury, a competition which Trent Alexander-Arnold excelled at, reaching the final with England.

Long story short - Until James competes with Trent in terms of game-time, Chelsea fans should not mention them in the same sentence.

Who would you rather have in your team, Reece James or Trent Alexander-Arnold?

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