If there is caution in his voice, then that is understandable. Reece James appears to be back.
A new role in midfield for Chelsea, coupled with a first goal for England during the international break, suggests that the Blues academy product has put some difficult months and years behind him.
“It’s been a rocky road, the last three years,” he tells Sky Sports on a sunlit spring afternoon at Chelsea’s Cobham training base.
“It means a lot to me now every time I step out onto the pitch, especially as I’ve had so much disappointment over the journey. I’m happy to be back helping Chelsea and England.
“It’s been a long time since I put on the England shirt. It was a great feeling to score my first international goal, I’d waited a long time for it.
“Not many of my team-mates had seen me score a free-kick like that before but I know my abilities, so I wasn’t surprised to see it go in.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel discusses Reece James’ performance against Latvia and whether he could feature in midfield for the Three Lions after Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca claimed he sees James as more of a midfielder than a right-back
The new England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, had seen such prowess relatively recently, though. He was in the stands at Stamford Bridge when James curled in a stoppage-time equaliser against Bournemouth in January.
The free-kick against Latvia was arguably an even better strike. Linking up once more with Tuchel certainly made it a comfortable return to the England squad.
“Yeah, that definitely helped, seeing familiar faces again,” James continues. “The squad is slightly different to what it was before. There are a lot of younger players now.
“I feel the group is closer now, these are exciting times. Our goal is to win the World Cup and on paper there are not many teams who are better, we just need to translate that to the field.”
There is a sense that James is keen to make up for lost time. Any England ambitions are matched at club level now he is back playing regularly for Enzo Maresca.
Thursday 3rd April 7:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
On Thursday evening, the quest for a return to the Champions League continues with a home fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, before a short hop across west London on Sunday afternoon to face Brentford.
“Our objective is to play Champions League football next year,” James adds. “I think there’s still more to come from us, it’s early days.
“We’ve learnt a lot this season and are still learning. We have come on leaps and bounds this year, fighting against the best teams in the league on a consistent basis.
“I think the balance of the team is key, to have different players for different roles. Everyone complements each other well and that helps with where we are so far. Hopefully our performances reflect how far we have come.
“The way the head coach is with the team, the way he wants us to play and how passionate he is makes it enjoyable. Our idea and focus stays the same no matter who we are playing against.”
Spending so much time on the sidelines has given James a chance to consider not just his own Chelsea journey but also the direction the club has taken.
James spent three years plagued by injuries but is now back in the Chelsea team
It is nearly three years since Roman Abramovich sold up to Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital and success has been difficult to come by under the new ownership.
As club captain, James feels a responsibility to ensure there is dressing room harmony and believes that the club is firmly on the right track again.
“When you have a lot of new players and staff, sometimes the meaning of the club can get lost in translation,” he explains. “But everyone is very much on the same page here, we all have the same objective.
“If people have different values, and see things in a different way, it makes the task a lot harder. There are many sides to becoming a good player, being a good team-mate, becoming an all-round team.
“There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that people don’t see. It’s hard adjusting to different cultures, a different league and a different language but everyone who has come in now has adapted well and they are taking it in their stride.”
So, has an enforced period out of the side given James a new perspective on Chelsea and what the club stands for in his own eyes?
“No, I wouldn’t say it has changed my views on anything in terms of what the club means to me. It has always meant the same. Putting on the shirt and walking out at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea is my home.
Chelsea defender James celebrates his late free-kick against Bournemouth
“I started here as a little boy and my dream was to play for the club one day. Putting on the shirt and representing the club and being the club captain is an amazing feeling for me.”
His new role in midfield has resembled a straightforward transition for a player who spent his younger days in this more advanced position on the pitch.
“It’s somewhere I played a lot growing up as a kid, maybe from U11s to U16s, and a little bit when I was out on loan [at Wigan Athletic during the 2018-19 season].
“So, it’s not really new to me, it’s just a case of reminding myself of how to play there again. I’m enjoying playing the role and helping the team as much as I can.
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal’s match against Chelsea in the Premier League
“I played various positions growing up in the academy. If you speak to most first-team players, the position they are playing in now is probably not the one they started off playing as a kid. I enjoy wherever I play on the pitch.”
There is also an appreciation of returning to the first XI team sheet, after so many struggles with injuries. A Reece James back to his very best will be a huge benefit to his club and country.
“Eventually I will look back and say [the fitness challenges] helped me, but in the moment it is quite difficult,” he concludes. “It hasn’t had a negative effect, though.
“There’s a lot to look forward to, finishing this season strongly and then going into next season, whatever that may bring.”
Watch Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur live on Sky Sports on Thursday night; kick-off 8pm…
This news was originally published on this post .
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