Chelsea captain Reece James will want to forget Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Newcastle United in a hurry.
The same will go for the rest of his Chelsea teammates, too.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were humbled at St James’ Park at the weekend, with the kind of performance and result which explains why they’re mid-table in the Premier League right now.
Reece James’ sending off, which came about because of two avoidable yellow cards, was the tip of the iceberg during a frustrating game.
The 23-year-old Blues right-back received his first booking for kicking the ball away, which is something the referees are a lot stricter with this season. He was carded again for bringing Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon down.
Big criticism
TalkSPORT pundit Andy Jacobs didn’t hold back when reflecting on James’ contribution at the weekend.
He left baffled with the Blues defender for the decision-making that led to his red card.
“Reece James was pathetic. What on earth was he doing kicking the ball away? And let [Anthony] Gordon go, you’re 3-1 down. Now you miss the next game,” Jacobs told talkSPORT (1:41pm, 27 November).
Reece James will be back
James will be suspended for just the one game, this Sunday’s home match versus Brighton. Let’s hope Malo Gusto can step into the void at right-back and impress at the weekend.
It’s been another stop-start campaign so far for Chelsea’s newly-appointed captain.
We know how sensational the Englishman can be when he’s in the mood, but fitness continues to plague him in his career. The last thing he needs is to miss extra games through suspension, too!
We’ve got belief that the youngster will move on and learn from the ill-discipline at Newcastle.
Journalist Dean Jones told GiveMeSport this week that people close to James are growing more and more confident about his fitness. It’s going to make a gigantic difference to the side if he can get over this constant injuries, which must always be in the back of his mind.
If the Blues are to climb the league table this term, James will need to be integral to the success.
