Reece James says Chelsea ready for ‘war’ and berates poor American pitches | OneFootball

Chelsea face Palmeiras in the quarter-final of the Club World Cup, and Reece James says the Blues are ready for war against the Brazilian side.

Palmieras are one of the few sides in the tournament who are still unbeaten and therefore it will not be easy for Chelsea, who massively struggled against Flamengo in the group stage.

On the crunch game, James said: “I think for sure we learned a lot about playing a Brazilian team in the group. They were a difficult team. We’re expecting a very tough game tomorrow. We’re ready for war tomorrow. We need to win the game. We’re preparing the best we can in the current circumstances.”

One of the main talking points ahead of the game is that Estevao is facing the side he will join after this competition, and James said: “I think it’s going to be more difficult for him than for us. This is probably one of his last games for Palmeiras. I guess he’s a young player. We’re excited to have him. But when we are on the pitch tomorrow night, whilst we’re friends, we’re against him.”

The Chelsea captain has struggled extensively with long injuries over the last three years, but having been fit and playing regularly for seven months now, he says he feels confident and has learnt to manage himself.

“I’ve adapted and I’ve grown in different ways to try and help limit problems going forward. I’m happy where I am currently. It’s difficult to have a  number of big injuries, back to back, in such a short period of time. It definitely affects you mentally. But I’m just so happy to be back playing top flight football, and representing Chelsea as well.”

Multiple things have raised concerns during this tournament, including the quality of the American pitches, the heat, and the travel, and James said these factors have been far from ideal: “It’s obviously difficult, playing in the conditions, the climate, on pitches that are not as good as pitches in Europe. No-one is used to this heat.

“We travel so often. Everywhere is two hours minimum on a plane… It’s difficult pitches, a difficult climate. The ball goes 100 feet in the air and it bounces one metre up. It’s not what we’re used to. I feel you get a lot leggier quicker, playing on pitches that are not so good.

“It’s not just for us it’s for everyone involved in the competition. I think for the fans, for the people watching, it would be better quality if the pitches were more acclimatised for us.”