Chelsea ace lifts lid on “completely” different role, but insists being played there doesn’t “worry” him | OneFootball

Reece James has said he isn’t worried about playing in midfield after being deployed there in Chelsea’s defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

The Blues slipped to a 2-1 loss thanks to a huge blunder from Filip Jorgensen in the 89th minute as he allowed Marco Asensio’s shot to go straight through him, with the Spaniard netting a second half brace after Enzo Fernandez had given Chelsea an early lead.

Chelsea are now on a run of two wins in their last ten league matches and are falling down the table quickly, as they face a real battle to qualify for the Champions League next season.

James on playing in midfield

Enzo Maresca switched things up tactically, arguably for the first time this season as he went with a three man midfield, and a front three.

James was deployed in the middle of the park with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, whilst Cole Palmer started on the right, with Christopher Nkunku on the left and Pedro Neto through the middle.

James was deployed in midfield against Villa. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Chelsea looked more of a threat than they’ve looked in previous weeks, with Neto a threat in behind, whilst the midfield looked more solid with James in there.

The 25-year-old has previously played in midfield when on loan at Wigan Athletic at the start of his career, and speaking after the game he said he’d play wherever the manager needs him.

“Yes, it was a completely different position to what I’m used to but that doesn’t worry me, it’s somewhere I have experience playing in so it wasn’t anything new to me,” he told Chelsea’s website.

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“Wherever the manager needs me, I’ll play there and give my all to help the team.”

Whether James is deployed in midfield again on Tuesday against Southampton remains to be seen, but he and his team-mates need to put in a big performance to ensure Chelsea get a much needed three points.