Manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed Reece James is in contention to feature against Liverpool after returning to full team training earlier this week.
James has not played any competitive games in the 2024/25 season due to an injury sustained during pre-season.
However, the Blues captain returned to full team training on Monday and has been a regular feature in this week’s sessions at Cobham.
Maresca was asked in Friday afternoon’s pre-match press conference whether there were any injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s game against Liverpool, and finally about James’ availability.
Our head coach said, “No, we finally have everyone available.” Therefore, we have all teams available, except for the suspended team. ”
He went on to say: “He’s available. He’s finally back. He’s been working with us all through the international break and it’s good news especially for him who doesn’t feel good with his injury. So, finally he’s back. I did.”
“It’s always complicated when you have an injury and it’s not easy,” he added.
“So you’re always looking for solutions, right? A possible solution with Reese is to use it only once a week and (play) one game, to Romeo (LaVia) and Wes (Fofana). It’s the same solution we’re using, probably because at this moment, for various reasons, Reese’s body just can’t play with it twice a week.
“So maybe one of the solutions is to try to manage him the same way we’re doing with Wes and Romeo.”
Asked if using James once a week is a long-term or short-term solution, Maresca said, “I think that could be a solution at this point.” In the future, I don’t know.
“But if you want to build something with him in terms of physicality and fitness, maybe the solution is to let him practice slowly, let him use him once a week, and in the future use him more in the week. “I would like to be able to use it.” But for now, you’ll probably need to use him once a week. ”
Chelsea will be without Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana for this weekend’s game after receiving one-match suspensions after receiving their fifth yellow card of the season against Nottingham Forest.
James’ return means Maresca may have a long-term selection problem, with Maro Gusto excelling during England’s absence.
Gusto is versatile and has been used at left-back and midfield, so it’s possible that both defenders could be used in the same squad at some point.
Axel Disasi has also played at right-back this season, and the Frenchman is one of the players who could play as a centre-back alongside the established Levi Colwill, along with Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoît Badiashire. .
On the left, Renato Veiga has played at left-back on several occasions since joining in the summer, and Ben Chilwell came on as a substitute against Barrow, but Maresca is confident that the England defender will play in the opening stages of the game. He missed the season and only returned to practice on Thursday. This week through illness.
Coach Maresca said there would be no problem replacing the suspended Cucurella and Fofana. I’ve said since the team started that I’m very happy with the team and the players we have. Since our inception, we have strived to share minutes between conferences. We have two players who are suspended and cannot play, so we will look for another player who can play. ”
Chelsea fans heading to Liverpool for Sunday’s match are advised to plan ahead and consider alternative transport options to the train on the day. Read why here.
