Reece James dominates two Premier League stats from last gameweek despite starting out of position vs Brentford
There were certainly a few eyebrows raised when the Chelsea starting XI to take on Brentford in the Premier League at the weekend.
The Blues were without the likes of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella as the boss looked to protect some of his players ahead of a hectic end to the season.
Enzo Maresca defended benching Palmer and Jackson by stating that his plan was to dominate the opposition in the second half, however they were unable to get the important goal.
Club captain Reece James was named in the starting side, however it was interesting to see that he was playing as the left-back, with Malo Gusto starting on the opposite side.
Maresca has made it clear he sees James as a midfielder, with him clearly disagreeing with England manager Thomas Tuchel over where his best position on the pitch is.
Reece James tops two Premier League statistics after Chelsea draw vs Brentford
Despite not being in his strongest role against Brentford, the skipper enjoyed a very strong performance, keeping key man Bryan Mbuemo quiet.
| Reece James vs Brentford | Total |
| Minutes | 77 |
| Defensive actions | 10 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Duels won | 2 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Accurate crosses | 2/3 |
Of all the players who took part in Premier League action over the weekend, there were two areas where no one reached James’ level.
According to WhoScored, no player won possession or created more chances than the Chelsea captain across any top flight English game.
Reece James thoughts on his position at Chelsea
Given the demands James has put on his body in the past, it is perhaps no surprise that his club manager has looked to protect him since returning from injury.
After Maresca made his thoughts very clear on his best role, James said he was used to a midfield role, although admitted there was still room to improve for him in the position.
He said: “I’m not the decider of the position I play. It’s up to the manager, where he wants to set people up and the rest is down to us. It’s a role that I’m fairly used to and with time playing there, I will improve.”
Gusto, who has played the majority of the minutes in the right-back position, is struggling a bit with his new role in comparison to last season, with him also not being given the opportunity to operate as a marauding full-back.
from Latest Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/ytLgNek
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