Reece James has now been fit for a full year, something we were worried we wouldn’t be able to say again.
He’s been treated very carefully by the medical staff and by Enzo Maresca, who makes sure he doesn’t play more than twice a week. The switch away from being a really dynamic, flying right back has taken away some of his strengths, but at least allows him to stay on the pitch more.
James brilliant stats show his return to the top is working
We’re not just happy he’s playing – we’re happy he’s playing well. A look at the stats for Premier League right backs shows that James is rated as the second best in the league this season, behind only Jurrien Timber of Arsenal.
James always was a superb all round player – a physical beast with great game intelligence and technique. He can deliver perhaps the best cross in the league, but can also match any attacker physically.
His long passing remains maybe his most exceptional quality. He averages 3.5 average successful long balls per game. To put that in context, Timber averages 0.6, and Man City’s Matheus Nunes 1.1.
You can see the stats for the top 10 rated right backs by WhoScored in the table here:
|
Rank
|
Player
|
Club
|
Apps
|
Mins
|
Total Tackles/90
|
Dribbled Past/90
|
Attempted Tackles/90
|
Rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Jurriën Timber
|
Arsenal
|
10
|
864
|
3.2
|
0.4
|
3.6
|
7.32
|
|
2
|
Reece James
|
Chelsea
|
6
|
529
|
2.3
|
0.3
|
2.7
|
7.28
|
|
3
|
Matheus Nunes
|
Man City
|
7
|
625
|
1.3
|
0.4
|
1.7
|
7.26
|
|
4
|
Amad Diallo
|
Man Utd
|
6
|
451
|
1.2
|
1.0
|
2.2
|
7.20
|
|
5
|
Daniel Muñoz
|
Crystal Palace
|
11
|
990
|
2.6
|
1.0
|
3.6
|
7.16
|
|
6
|
Mats Wieffer
|
Brighton
|
7
|
602
|
3.9
|
1.9
|
5.7
|
6.99
|
|
7
|
Kenny Tete
|
Fulham
|
8
|
720
|
3.3
|
0.5
|
3.8
|
6.94
|
|
8
|
Michael Kayode
|
Brentford
|
11
|
955
|
1.7
|
0.3
|
2.0
|
6.89
|
|
9
|
Matty Cash
|
Aston Villa
|
11
|
968
|
1.6
|
1.1
|
2.7
|
6.83
|
|
10
|
Trai Hume
|
Sunderland
|
10
|
889
|
1.8
|
0.5
|
2.3
|
6.73
|
In other news…
James’ newfound fitness has allowed him to develop off the field too – this interview talks about how sources see his growing character as a leader.
Also in the interview was some interesting chat about James’ fitness, and how the club’s revamped performance department had helped him get back to playing regularly.
