Reece James confirms Enzo Maresca's Chelsea plan ahead of Barcelona clash | OneFootball

Chelsea captain Reece James has sent a message to the fans, confirming Enzo Maresca's statement about the defender's half-time substitution in Saturday's 2-0 win over Burnley.

Maresca decided to take off James at half-time and replace him with a centre-back, Benoit Badiashile - a decision that unsurprisingly raised some eyebrows.

Thanks to Trevoh Chalobah's versatility, his filling in as a right-back did not cause much trouble for Chelsea defensively.

Still, Chelsea were only one goal ahead at the time, and replacing James, by far the team's best crosser when the win had not been secured, was quite puzzling.

Thankfully, Maresca has confirmed that it had nothing to do with any injury.

IMAGO / Focus Images

"Yes, the idea was to manage Reece," the Italian explained in his post-match press conference.

"This is the reason why he played 45 minutes - it was planned.

"That's why I said we had many reasons to be happy today, because one of the reasons was also to try to manage players.

"It's not easy, because, personally, I would like Reece to continue, but we need to protect Reece."

James also clarified the situation on social media, expressing his gratitude towards the travelling Chelsea fans for their support.

Instagram / reece

"Different type of game today, but a huge WIN!" he wrote on an Instagram story.

"Another step in the right direction. Thanks to the traveling fans.

"PS. I'm all good. Thanks for your concern, see you on Tuesday."

Chelsea will only have a few days to rest and prepare for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Barcelona, so it makes sense for Maresca to rest his key players.

Moises Caicedo, Estevao, and Alejandro Garnacho were among the unused substitutes in this game, while Wesley Fofana did not even make the squad. These four could start against Barcelona.