Reece James ‘Primary Position’ Under Xabi Alonso Revealed

Chelsea captain Reece James has been pivotal to the club’s success since making his debut in 2019, but recurring injuries, tactical changes and careful player management have seen his role evolve in recent seasons.

The England international made his Chelsea debut in 2019 under Frank Lampard, following a successful loan spell at Wigan Athletic, then in the Championship.

With the Blues under a transfer embargo, Lampard, who managed the club in 2019/20 and part of 2020/21, promoted the full-back as an understudy to Cesar Azpilicueta.

Midway through the 2020/21 season, Frank Lampard was sacked following a string of poor results and was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. The German coach implemented a different philosophy than Lampard, using a back three and wing-backs to form a back five. With Azpilicueta shifted to centre-back, James was deployed as a right wing-back.

Switching from a full-back to a wing-back brings different demands, as combining defence with attack can put extra strain on the body. The tactical tweak saw James win the Champions League in 2021. The strain and demands of the fixtures saw him miss over 40 matches over the following two seasons.

James’ injury troubles continued into the 2023/24 season under Mauricio Pochettino. The 26-year-old played at the start of the campaign, but an injury picked up in December 2023 sidelined him until May, when he helped the Blues to a sixth-place finish.

Enzo Maresca's appointment brought greater attention to managing his fitness and workload. The Italian coach focused on inverting the Englishman into midfield, which saw an overall reduction in setbacks.

New manager Xabi Alonso has also taken a similar approach to his predecessor by moving James from the full-back position. In Moises Caicedo's absence, the Spaniard has partnered the Cobham graduate in midfield alongside Romeo Lavia or Malo Gusto.

Midfield may well be the new permanent position we see James occupy. Ben Jacobs recently spoke on The CFC Hub and claimed that Xabi Alonso sees his ‘primary position’ as being in midfield. 

Whether the transformation of position is long-term remains to be seen, as in recent weeks Chelsea have been linked with a variety of midfielders, including Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Monaco’s Lamine Camara. The west London side remain well-stocked in the full-back and wing-back positions, with Marco Palestra, Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto able to occupy the right-hand side.