What Reece James blamed for Chelsea defeat after Blues fail to capitalise on strong 65 minutes | OneFootball

Reece James has become more and more of a leader for this Chelsea team since becoming captain, both on and off the pitch.

His assist on Saturday was a great example of the former, and speaking to the club’s official website after he showed more of the latter.

James on Chelsea frustrations after defeat

Enzo Maresca watches from the stands. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

It was an immensely frustrating defeat for Chelsea fans, given how well they had played, and we can only imagine what it was like for James, who played well himself and had pretty much scored his team’s goal too.

“We dominated 60, 65 minutes of the game,” said James with an air of bitter disappointment.

“We came out sharp with the way we set up. We got off on the front foot and in the right way. In the first 60 minutes of the game they didn’t create any chances, and then they get one and the dynamic changes.

“Second half one or two moments changed the game. They picked up momentum. It was two slight errors from us and we got punished. This is why it’s the toughest league in the world. It’s always disappointing to lose at home.”

We’ve seen this team start so many games slowly this season – last week’s effort against Newcastle was a great example. But whether you start well or finish well it’s not going to be enough – you need to put in 90 minutes of a good performance at this level.

In other news…

Speaking after the game, Moises Caicedo was quick to note that a lack of consistency was what was costing Chelsea in these games – he’s right, although we’re not sure what anyone is doing to fix it.

Caicedo also blamed the defeat on a lack of concentration from his team – we saw some other things which went wrong for the Blues.