Reece James made his first appearance of the season for Chelsea in their 2-1 loss against Liverpool on Sunday.
Reece James started the campaign injured and only returned to training last week. However, Enzo Maresca did not hesitate to throw the right-back straight into his starting XI.
ESPN pundit Janusz Michallik thought Maresca took a bit of a risk, but James managed to leave the game unscathed.
While Chelsea were unable to pick up a single point from Anfield, it looks like their captain still enjoyed himself.
Reece James relished Liverpool challenge
Not many defenders actually want to go to Anfield and take on the likes of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.
However, taking on big players is something James has missed, according to the man himself.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official website after his side’s loss against Liverpool, he said: “It was great to be involved again. I missed playing in big games and playing against big players so it was a big step.
“It’s been a long time since I started a game, and starting here [Anfield] was always going to be tough, but I’m feeling good.
“The road to recovery has been tough — it definitely hasn’t been easy. I hope to stay strong, keep going, and help the team achieve what we want to achieve.”
Chelsea fans were so happy to see James back and will now be hoping that he can stay fit for the rest of the season.
Reece James will get better
On the ball, James was strong and as composed as ever. He really is a gifted modern-day full-back.
Defensively, though, he did show a bit of rust. The England international lost Curtis Jones near the back post for Liverpool’s winner.
It could have been down to tiredness, with Maresca taking him off shortly afterwards. And that is understandable, given that that was his first start of the season.
If James can stay fit and continue getting minutes under his belt, then he will undoubtedly improve.
Robert Sanchez also came in for criticism for Liverpool’s second goal. “The goalkeeper is so poor,” Jamie Carragher said when discussing Sanchez.
Chelsea’s start to the season has been pretty good — losses against Liverpool and Manchester City were expected. However, they need to improve at the back to secure a top-four finish in May. Maresca’s men are defending too poorly at the minute, with the team’s latest showing proving that.
