Mario Melchiot says whether he thinks Chelsea can survive without Reece James after latest injury
Chelsea defender Reece James was only meant to miss the first three games of the new Premier League season.
Reece James picked up a four-game ban at the end of the last campaign that has stretched into this season.
However, even if the right-back was not suspended, he would still miss Chelsea‘s upcoming matches against Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace because of injury.
James has picked up another hamstring issue, meaning he will not be back even after his ban is over. New Chelsea signing Pedro Neto recently spoke about his and James’ friendship and how injuries played a part in it being formed.
Mario Melchiot on Reece James’ importance to the team
Chelsea have Malo Gusto to cover for James, and the 21-year-old has never done a bad job when called upon.
Like James, Gusto also offers a threat going forward. He provided nine assists in all competitions last season.
Nevertheless, former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot still thinks the Blues really need their captain.
Speaking on talkSPORT (13/08/2024 at 08:10), he said: “Reece got injured. You know what the sad part is? Of course, we can see that he is a very important player for that team. Why? Because I think the way he plays, his confidence, the way he implements himself in the game, he is a player that people can count on.
“If you are part of a team, you want a guy like that. I feel like he’s the perfect player as you can look at him and say, ‘If something needs to happen, you will make it happen’. But if he is always out, there is a question mark that you have in the sense that we need him. At the moment, Chelsea really need a player like Reece James.”
Melchiot has also been speaking about Cole Palmer, fearing that the attacker could be in for a much harder season this time around.
Reece James’ stats worrying
Last season, James only made 10 appearances in the Premier League. The season before that, he could only manage six more.
The 24-year-old had surgery not too long ago as well. At this stage, it does not look like there is anything else that Chelsea can do to help James stay fit.
Hopefully this latest setback is just a minor one. If not, it is going to be a big campaign for Gusto, whom Enzo Maresca is going to have to heavily rely on.
With Trevoh Chalobah expected to leave Stamford Bridge, that is another right-back option that the Italian will not have available.
Chalobah hasn’t been training with the Chelsea first team after being frozen out of the senior squad.
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