Tuchel questions Maresca judgement over James after England goal

Suraj Radia

Updated: 25 Mar 2025 07:29 GMT
3 min read

Thomas Tuchel has hinted he does not agree with Enzo Maresca’s belief in Reece James as a midfielder after the Chelsea star netted his first ever England goal while playing at right-back.

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James played 90 minutes for England for the first time in two-and-a-half years and grabbed the opener with an impressive free-kick in a 3-0 win for Tuchel’s side against Latvia on Monday.

STATS

Reece James

D, M (R)

Chelsea

Reece James

D, M (R)

Chelsea

14

Games
2

Goals
1

Assists

Tuchel is familiar with James’ game, having managed him at Chelsea, but the England boss admitted that, while there are some situations where the 25-year-old can play in midfield, he is ‘not sure’ if the role is a ‘perfect’ one for the defender.

When asked if he had thought of playing James in midfield, Tuchel replied: “I think we did but very, very rarely with Chelsea.

“If you play a dominant match like today, he can be in the last 20 minutes a hybrid midfielder where he comes from the left or right full-back position and helps in midfield to create an overload because he has the quality on the ball to accelerate with his passes, to play chip balls, to switch sides.

“He’s very confident. If it’s an open game and there are a lot of transitions through midfield, I’m not so sure if it would suit him perfectly.”

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Tuchel insists James is ‘in good shape’

Maresca has fielded James as a holding midfielder in his last two starts for Chelsea and admitted that is where he saw his future after the England star scored against FC Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League earlier this month.

James has struggled with injuries throughout his career, missing 68 Premier League games for Chelsea in the past three years, and it is thought Maresca’s decision to move his captain into midfield could protect him from overexerting himself with runs down the wing.

© IMAGO - Reece James has suffered intense injuries over his career with Chelsea.

Playing 90 minutes at right-back has been a rare occurrence for James in recent times but Tuchel insisted he was confident in the player’s fitness, having been in regular contact with Chelsea to gain insight into his health.

“There cannot be any doubt about Reece’s quality in itself,” Tuchel said. “It’s the highest level. We have been in close contact in the last few weeks and were sure that he trained for weeks. When he didn’t play it was the choice of the club to protect him. We knew he was in good shape.”