“Players like Reece and me…” – What Chelsea’s academy veterans did to get their team over the line | OneFootball

Trevoh Chalobah spoke to the Chelsea official website after last night’s draw, pointing out how he and Reece James had got a depleted team going and managed to earn a draw.

“In the second half, we showed even more energy. That’s what we have needed to work on this season. It’s football – sometimes you go 1-0 down. We had another 45 minutes to make things right, and we came out with our heads up, wanting to get the result,” the defender said.

“In these moments, it’s when you need players like Reece and me, and the senior lads, to lift the spirits, keep the guys going, and in this moment now we need to be together more than ever. We’re going to need everyone.”

Despite missing so much experience in Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo, Chelsea were able to get a draw thanks to the likes of Chalobah and James performing to a high level.

Chalobah on Chelsea’s busy January and beyond

A generic group of Chelsea defenders hold off Man City. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

With their manager removed on New Years’ Day, this is very much a fresh start in 2026 for this Chelsea squad. And Chalobah is relishing the fresh start:

‘For us, this is a big point going into a busy month,” Trev added.

“We have a lot of games this month, and it’s a good way to start the new year. For us, it’s just onto the next game. The more games we play, the more consistency we get.”

In other news…

The defender put a lot of the Blues’ success down to their spirit and belief, rather than tactical tweaks made by the manager.

Chalobah also spoke about how pleased he was to get the result after a difficult week for him and his teammates.