Gianfranco Zola admits he’s now changed his mind about Reece James at Chelsea
Chelsea captain Reece James is giving anyone who doubted him a timely reminder that he is clearly one of the best players in the Premier League.
James was the comfortable winner when The Chelsea Chronicle readers voted for their Man of the Match after the 10-man Blues drew 1-1 with Arsenal at the weekend.
Who was your Man of the Match vs Arsenal?
James was in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week for his performance in midfield, with the Blues’ skipper winning the midfield battle up against Declan Rice without Moises Caicedo by his side.
There was initially some criticism when Enzo Maresca started using the England international in midfield during the Conference League last season, however he is beginning to be proven right.
Gianfranco Zola now believes Reece James is as good a midfielder as full-back
Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola is another who is being won over by him in midfield, telling Premier League Productions that he is now starting to prefer him in that position.
He said: “On top of that, I see a lot of players maturing in terms of intelligence, James is one of the examples, I like him more on the right, but I have to change my mind because the performance was excellent.”
With Caicedo now suspended for three games, there may be an appetite for the boss to utilise him there more.
However, Maresca has stayed true to his word when it comes to protecting James as he continues to maintain his fitness for a prolonged period of time.
James not set to start vs Leeds
Chelsea’s next task in the Premier League will be to keep up their unbeaten run with a trip to old enemies Leeds United.
Maresca confirmed James will not start against Leeds due to the shift he put in, both against Arsenal and Barcelona.
Andrey Santos will surely come into the starting side, in a game we are tipping there to be plenty of changes to the XI.
Our XI to face Leeds!
What changes would you make?
We are predicting Cole Palmer will return to the starting side after he remained on the bench for the game against the Gunners.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/pBWcnit
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