Reece James was not a universally agreed choice as Chelsea’s captain for this season.
He’s home grown and one of our best players – but his injury record means that some people would rather have seen other players picked.
But now he’s fit again and playing superbly well, it’s clear why he was chosen. Speaking to the Chelsea official website, he explained about how it had been being captain, while also not being able to play for the majority of the season so far:
‘The captaincy has been great, but it was difficult when I wasn’t fit because it is hard to affect things as much when I’m not with the group all the time.
“Thiago probably helps me the most whenever I’m unsure, or I feel like I need advice on something. He is nearly old enough to be my dad! So he is the person I go to.
“It’s not for me to say what sort of captain I am, but I’ve enjoyed it so far. It’s an honour. We’re still a fairly new group. The more time we spend with each other the more understanding we have. That helps us. We have come a long way.”
All we hope now is that James keeps his fitness and is able to captain the side for the rest of the season without incident. At that point, any doubts about his suitability for the role will surely have disappeared.
Given his record, it’s a big ask, but we are at least hopeful that this new coaching setup have a handle on how to best manage him and his medical issues.
