Thomas Tuchel reveals Reece James will play as a wing-back for Chelsea against Leeds United despite mid-week changes
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by the club’s official website, Thomas Tuchel revealed that Chelsea star Reece James will play as a wing-back against Leeds United.
The recently turned 22-year-old has been brilliant for the Blues this season. He has provided 5 goals and 5 assists in 16 appearances from the wing-back position but was tried out in the midfield area against Zenit on Wednesday.
The concerning injury list in midfield could have influenced this decision. Saul Niguez was also tested in the left wing-back role, although he was substituted late into the second half. Although he did try to tweak the system in mid-week, he has dismissed the idea of doing the same on the weekend.
The gaffer stated that James will start as a wing-back, and he will not try something out of the box against Leeds United on Saturday.
‘Reecey will start as a wing-back. We will find another consolation. He helped us out. We took the match to see some things, because imagine if something happens tomorrow to Jorgi and we need to have a solution, and we wanted to see it in real life.
‘We took the match in Zenit to check out Saul in a different position and Reecey for impact in the middle of the pitch. But there is no need tomorrow to try these things. He [James] will start as a wing-back.’
Sensible decision
The German boss can tweak his system from time to time but understands when not to do it. James and Ross Barkley started against Zenit, but they were dominated constantly. The Englishman held his ground sometimes, but the overall display was not encouraging.
Moreover, Callum Hudson-Odoi did not provide the same impact in the right-wing back slot either. Thus, instead of trying out new players in the system, Tuchel is smart enough to not change things against a Leeds side that can punish us for our mistakes.
In fact, the gaffer revealed that Jorginho has returned to training and will play despite suffering some pain. The Italian could be partnered by either Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Saul Niguez, given that the manager is not keen on making any unorthodox changes.
More Chelsea News
- Cesar Azpilicueta ‘Dave’ would walk away as one of Chelsea’s best pieces of business
- Chelsea Exit set to make Antonio Rudiger one of the highest-paid defenders in the world
- Connor Gallagher ready to return to Chelsea if the club needs him in January
Mason Mount and Ross Barkley also remain viable options in midfield, but their attacking nature hurts their defensive discipline at times. Tuchel knows his squad the best and will make the right selection as we look to get back to winning ways.