Janice R. Andrews
Before this weekend’s crucial match against Liverpool, head coach Enzo Maresca has made it official that club captain Reece James is fully fit and eligible for selection, which is a huge development for Chelsea supporters. James, who has missed all of preseason practice because of an injury, returned to full team training on Monday. He has engaged fully in every Cobham training session this week.
In his pregame press conference on Friday afternoon, Maresca talked about potential injuries and gave hope that James will be available. “No, we are all now available at last. Thus, except from the suspended players, we have the entire squad available,” he declared with assurance.
Maresca provided some details on James’ circumstances: “He is free. It’s finally him again. He collaborated with us throughout the international break, which is fantastic news—especially for him, as the injury does not feel good. So at last, he has returned.” The head coach stressed the need of carefully managing players’ conditioning while acknowledging the difficulties that come with injuries.
Maresca offered some insight into James’ future workout plan when he said, “A possible solution with Reece is the same solution we are using with Romeo [Lavia] and Wes [Fofana] in terms of using them just once a week and playing one game.” This is a reaction to James’s requirement to progressively improve his physical state.
Maresca responded, “At this time, I think it can be the solution,” when asked if controlling James’ playing time was a short fix or a long-term solution. “I’m not sure about the future,” she said, indicating a cautious strategy to guarantee James’s survival for the duration of the season.
Chelsea will benefit from James’ return, but Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella will be missed because they are both suspended following their fifth yellow card of the year from the game against Nottingham Forest.
Maresca said, “It’s not a problem,” acknowledging the depth of his team. With the team and the guys we have, I couldn’t be happier. We’ll find other players who can participate because we have two suspended players.”
The adaptability of players like Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto’s good form in James’ absence present the Chelsea boss with fascinating choices to choose as he gets ready for the trip to Anfield.
Due to anticipated difficulties, Chelsea supporters are encouraged to plan their Sunday travels to Liverpool and take alternate modes of transportation into consideration.
