Reece James has been working hard to be fully fit (Image: Getty)
Reece James has been absent from over half of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season, with the majority due to injury. Despite this, he has already clocked more minutes than in the 2023/24 season.
This highlights how anonymous the Chelsea captain was during his first year wearing the armband, making only 10 league appearances with five starts. This has already been surpassed with 12 matches remaining this season.
James has remained fit throughout 2025, a personal achievement as he strives for increased availability. Although the team’s positive results have not coincided with his return, James is at least managing to complete matches again.
There is a tendency to add ‘for now’ here, given James’ history of unexpected injuries at inconvenient times. Regardless, he has made definite progress, however small.
James is on course to surpass his 2022/23 appearance record, needing just six more appearances and seven more starts. Doubling his playing time will also be required, but if he maintains his physical strength, it is entirely achievable. This remains a significant ‘if’, but currently, James is enjoying his longest consecutive run of selection for Premier League matchday squads (eight) since the overlap between the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.
This has allowed for greater emphasis on other aspects of his game. Under Enzo Maresca, James is more frequently deployed as a midfielder.
Don’t miss… Marcus Rashford’s behaviour at Aston Villa reviewed after ‘ridiculous’ text
Reece James is stepping up into his captaincy role (Image: AMA/Getty Images)
His recent performances have been predominantly in the centre of the pitch, unlike before when he might have shifted there due to tactical adjustments or substitutions. James is still regaining his form and needs to shake off some rust before he can truly be at his peak.
However, with time, he will get there, and on Saturday, he completed his first full match since rejoining the team in December. Maresca has been careful with his use of James, often restricting his playtime to 60-75 minutes. He spent the entire match patrolling the midfield at Villa Park, which is another positive step. James has only played two other full matches this season and is being closely monitored.
Chelsea have not utilised him in the Conference League and only gave him a low-profile half of FA Cup third round action against League Two strugglers Morecambe last month. It would be surprising to see him participate in any European football given Chelsea’s smooth progression through the competition and his own challenges with managing two games in a week.
In this regard, James is still on a lengthy journey back to the top. Nonetheless, Chelsea are stronger with James than without him in more ways than one.
Malo Gusto’s struggles at right-back and the midfield’s thin ranks have posed challenges for Maresca, but James has shown he can fill in adeptly across the pitch. The key issue is to ensure that he gets ample playing time.
“I have one goal – to stay on the pitch,” he openly stated at the outset of pre-season, acknowledging his tendency to push limits which sometimes led to trouble for himself and the team. “I am one to push the boundaries and sometimes that has caused problems for myself and the team, but that is something I’m trying to get better at. I don’t want to make mistakes and put my team at risk. I would like to think I’m in a good place now.”
Moises Caicedo was blasted by his skipper James (Image: Getty)
James has since cautiously re-entered the team with little fanfare. Despite this, he remains highly regarded among the Chelsea faithful and has been honing his leadership skills.
During a match against Aston Villa, he was particularly vocal, commanding the defence and coordinating teammates. At one point, following a dispute in the Chelsea box, James intervened to restrain Moises Caicedo from escalating an argument with Michael Oliver, after the latter had just received a caution from the referee.
Small moments like these signal his growth in stature both on and off the pitch, and the importance of the club captain actually being available and on the pitch to navigate these issues. Maresca has urged him to step up his leadership role, and James, while naturally quiet and reserved, is gradually embracing the responsibility, attempting to fill Cesar Azpilicueta’s captaincy boots in 2023.
Maintaining fitness has been a challenge due to frequent injuries. However, James now seems to be in better physical condition and is aiming to be consistently available for upcoming matches. Even if the team’s performance falls short, James’ goal of increasing his pitch time is significant, and he appears to be making progress.
However, there’s always a concern with James that this optimism might be misplaced and another injury layoff could be imminent. It will require a more substantial body of work before these concerns can be fully allayed, both from his perspective and that of the fans. Currently, James is back in action for Chelsea and has reintegrated smoothly, which is a positive sign. He displays natural ease when distributing passes across the field, as he did effectively at times to create chances and exploit openings against Villa.
This wasn’t James at his peak performance. There were two instances where he lost possession in risky areas. Villa failed to capitalise on these errors, and James’ influence on the game diminished as fatigue set in, not just for him but also for his teammates. The fact that he managed to complete the match rather than having to be substituted early was one of the few positives from the encounter.
This article originally appeared on Football.London
