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Reece James

I wonder what was going through Maresca's mind when he decided that Reece James as LB was the perfect plan for OT. 

 
Best right back in world football deployed as a left back. No... Just no... if it happens again Maresca needs a slap... 

 
It is okay Reece playing left side as well. In Maresca's system they are defenders and midfielders. Reece is excellent at crossing but in Maresca's system the wingers mainly do that. Overlapping is not the main thing as it was with recent managers....even though Gusto did it against MU with bad results. 

I like the way we are managing Reece's and other injury prone players workload. Looks to be working this season and long may it continue.

 
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evissy said:
It is okay Reece playing left side as well. In Maresca's system they are defenders and midfielders. Reece is excellent at crossing but in Maresca's system the wingers mainly do that. Overlapping is not the main thing as it was with recent managers....even though Gusto did it against MU with bad results. 

I like the way we are managing Reece's and other injury prone players workload. Looks to be working this season and so on.
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Its a huge no from me. Just because he can doesnt mean he should. It sort of makes a mockery of Cucrella's form. he tried something and it didnt work yesterday. It's not like we dont have an england left back who couldnt come in and have done the job James did there yesterday. But because the board want him out he isnt allowed to play. 

We know James can be a destroyer of teams on the right, he is one of our best, if not the best right back in the game and our squad... so why take all that away from the team and play him on the left. Its the sort of thing Pep does at city in the final of a champions league and backfires. 

 
bluetrooper said:
Its a huge no from me. Just because he can doesnt mean he should. It sort of makes a mockery of Cucrella's form. he tried something and it didnt work yesterday. It's not like we dont have an england left back who couldnt come in and have done the job James did there yesterday. But because the board want him out he isnt allowed to play. 

We know James can be a destroyer of teams on the right, he is one of our best, if not the best right back in the game and our squad... so why take all that away from the team and play him on the left. Its the sort of thing Pep does at city in the final of a champions league and backfires. 
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Not sure why Cucu didn't start. There must be a reason behind it. Maybe it is tinkering. We don't know. No one really asked Enzo that. 

 
evissy said:
Not sure why Cucu didn't start. There must be a reason behind it. Maybe it is tinkering. We don't know. No one really asked Enzo that. 
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I am guessing with Gusto inverting the left Backs role was going to be more of a LCB position and Enzo rates Reece higher from a defensive standpoint compared to Cucu and I kind of agree with that.

 
evissy said:
Not sure why Cucu didn't start. There must be a reason behind it. Maybe it is tinkering. We don't know. No one really asked Enzo that. 
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Yeah, thought it was really odd. I can almost see the logic given how Dave became one of the best left backs in the game after starting at right back for us. Dont want to see this tinkering again though! 🙂 I thought we rescued a point and am quite happy with the draw despite Sanchez costing us. Every player looked off the pace yesterday and Enzo Jnr blasting over summed up his time with us tbh. A point at Old Trafford not to be sniffed at.. and even to this day I can't stand Ruud Van Nistlesh*te... Everything about him from his face to feet and dodgy knee wind me right up. 

 
Ukraine Bolt said:
We had the best attacking wing back in world football with the best delivery into the box sat playing left centre back. Square pegs, round holes. 
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That's the pattern when he comes back, then he puts the burners on and hey presto two matches later and he is normally back on the treatment table.

 
Sconnie Blue said:
You’d hope he’d be the full back inverting into the attacking channel once his fitness is sorted. 
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theGreenBaron said:
Feel's like we are missing about 50% of what makes him so speical. Gusto is very good but some of the positions he picked up yesterday, you'd love to have had James there 

Maybe he just can't do that any more 
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This and this...and that!

Reece and Cucurella make a better rb & lb respectively. I think once reece increases his fitness level then they would be the regulars for Team A. For now though, I doubt he can bomb up and down too much but we all know reece is a beast of a shot. Imagine him taking those shots at goal instead of gusto atm and we also looked much better second half against man utd.

The other thing is what i posted up in colwills thread...

If reece cant do it anymore and injuries have taken its toll then unfortunately we have to accept that his best position will be partnering collwill as a cb. Fofana has one too many brain farts at times and I don't think he's back to full fitness either.

*The reason reece plays LB instead of chilly is his range of passing. We saw many times how he did long diagonal passes to the wingers (he needs more practice) from that inverted midfield position.

 
There was a poll on the BBC which had "now James is fit which is the better right back, James or gusto..."

All I could think about is James isn't fully fit and pls ffs don't jinx it!

Then...the press conference!

Chelsea captain Reece James returned from injury to play in the Blues' last four league games.

But manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that the England full-back is back on the sidelines.

Maresca said: "He felt something, he has to be out, for sure this week. After that, we have to see.

"Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on injuries: "We have just one injured player, that is Reece [James]. He felt something small and we don't want to take any risk.

"He is the only one for sure who is injured. The rest, some are better, some are still a doubt. We have to see.

"It's hamstring, it's a muscle problem and we don't want to take any risk."

Maresca added that it is a short-term injury.

 
They it's a small or short term injury but last time we said that he was out for 3 months. I guess that is short term for James? I just hope he can play again this year at least. 

 
Like clock work. I think the warmer temperatures would do him good in Spain to be honest.

 
I feel for Reece, poor lad can't get a break.

From a team perspective that should mean Gusto and Cucurella will respectively be nailed on as rb & lb.

 
Club have been extra cautious with bringing Reece back, managing his minutes, even limiting the amount of energy he needs the expend on the pitch by having Gusto as the runner fullback.

If Reece goes down with his hamstrings again then we need to bring in another right back to compete with Gusto, and expect Reece to only manage 10 to 15 games a season.

 
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