There
were moments during Chelsea's 4-0 win over Juventus on Tuesday when Reece
James appeared practically unplayable. Alex Sandro and Adrien Rabiot could
be seen doubling up on him from as early as the second minute but their
efforts were in vain.
The 21-year-old, all speed and explosive energy on Chelsea's right flank,
ripped into Massimiliano Allegri's side from the start. By the end, as well
as scoring his fifth goal of the season, he had taken more shots than any
other player and created the most chances too.
Juventus are not the first side to have found it impossible to cope with him
this season and they will not be the last. James is perhaps the most
dangerous player in the country right now. His attacking output might even
be redefining expectations of the wing-back.
In addition to the five times he has found the net himself, James has
provided five assists, giving him a higher combined total than any other
Chelsea player this season. Across all competitions, he is averaging a goal
or assist every 100 minutes.
His latest effort, rifled home from Ben Chilwell's half-cleared cross on
Tuesday night, encapsulated the dual threat of Thomas Tuchel's wing-backs.
His involvement in Chelsea's subsequent strikes further underlined just how
much he is bringing to the side.
In the build-up to Callum Hudson-Odoi's third, he could be seen controlling
a diagonal pass from Antonio Rudiger with the instep of his right foot in
the box before teeing up Hakim Ziyech with his left.
For Timo Werner's fourth, he showed impressive strength to outmuscle
Juventus substitute Moise Kean near the halfway line before pinging a
pinpoint cross-field ball out to Ziyech on the left.
That combination of physical prowess and technical guile has long marked
James out as a future Chelsea star and while Frank Lampard deserves credit
for promoting him to the senior side, it is the former midfielder's
successor who is taking his game to the next level.
Tuchel initially used James sporadically following his appointment at
Chelsea in January. At times, the German even preferred to deploy him at
right-sided centre-back rather than at wing-back.
That was done, in part, in order to add speed to Chelsea's backline against
opponents seeking to run in behind, such as Leicester's Jamie Vardy in the
FA Cup final. But Tuchel also explained that Cesar Azpilicueta, his other
option in the right wing-back position, "took more risks" in the final
third.
That has changed this season.
Tuchel has implored James to contribute more offensively and he has
responded emphatically. If the academy graduate has any lingering
inhibitions going forward, you would not know it.
The most striking change in James' game is the frequency with which he is
getting himself into scoring positions.
He is averaging more than twice as many touches in the opposition box than
he was last season and it is part of a deliberate strategy. "We need the
wing-backs to arrive in the box to increase the chance of scoring and
creating goal chances," explained Tuchel recently.
His numbers for chances created and shots are trending in the same direction
as a result and James is also demonstrating far greater composure at key
moments.
His shooting accuracy rate has leapt from 50 per cent last season to 83 per
cent in the new campaign - the highest of any player to have had at least 10
attempts on goal in the Premier League so far.
His excellent strike against Juventus was just the latest reminder of how he
is timing his runs intelligently, ensuring he has space to get a shot off
when the ball reaches him at the back post.
James is proving elusive in the opposition box and, like Chilwell on the
opposite side, he is also making greater use of what is known as the 'half
space', the area between the wing and the centre of the pitch, where he
interchanges positions with the wide forward on that side, making him even
more difficult to defend against.
Against Juventus, the tactic caused repeated problems, and the hope for
Chelsea is that - even if Chilwell is unavailable over on the left following
his early withdrawal with a knee injury in that game - it will be a similar
story against Manchester United on Sunday.
James will certainly fancy his chances of inflicting more damage at Stamford
Bridge. Manchester United's left flank is, after all, an area of
considerable weakness. Of their 11 errors leading to shots or goals this
season, five have come on that side. They have conceded a high concentration
of goals from there too.
Luke Shaw is enduring a particularly difficult campaign at left-back while
United now face the prospect of being without captain and left-sided
centre-back Harry Maguire, who is suspended for the trip to west London
following his sending off in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's final game in charge
against Watford last Saturday.
If there is anyone capable of exploiting their frailties in that area, it is
surely James. Juventus could not cope with him and nor could Leicester
before them. Manchester United could be next.
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