Chelsea Head Coach Thomas Tuchel Reveals Reece James’ Favourite Position

• Thomas Tuchel heaps praise on the 22-year old, who has been one of the standout performers during his reign at Chelsea
• James has been used predominantly as a wingback but can also play at the heart of the defence or as a defensive midfielder
• Tuchel wishes he could have a couple of James to play in multiple positions

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel wishes he could have a replica of Reece James. James has been a standout performer for the Blues since his breakout season under Frank Lampard.

The physically strong right-back has continuously earned plaudits for his robust performances. His head coach is a huge fan. After one and a half seasons in charge, Tuchel now thinks he knows James’ favourite position on the pitch.

The German gaffer arrived at Chelsea on the back of a poor run of form under former manager and club legend Frank Lampard. He quickly turned around the fortunes of the club and went on to win the Champions League.

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Tuchel's defensive masterclass

Tuchel added the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup to his CV. He has also managed to reach six cup finals in his 15-month stay in England. And he knows too well he owes a huge chunk of this success to his defensive solidity.

The former Paris Saint Germain coach has 98% of his time at Chelsea deployed a back three. Recce James has been used as a wingback and, at times, the right of the three-man defence. He has done exceedingly well in both positions.

His name is now a constant feature in England’s manager Gareth Southgate team’s selections. He has often been compared to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold. Many argue that the latter struggles defensively. Tuchel offers his opinion on where James is best suited as Metro UK reports,

I would like to have two of Reece James that would solve the problem; it’s like 50% towards wing-back and 45% towards the back three.

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I am a bit more into that his very best position is the wing-back position, where he is even more decisive, more useful, but it is more demanding.

The Blues coach was speaking ahead of his side’s visit to Old Trafford. Chelsea will be looking to pile more misery on Manchester United, whose hopes of qualifying for the top four are getting dimmer with every passing game week.

Chelsea themselves are pretty comfortable in third and will look to extend the gap over Arsenal in fourth to 8 points. James will be expected to play a major role in the continued absence of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

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Manchester United legend Gary Neville had earlier this week said that Chelsea will have it easy against the Red Devils. Ralf Rangnick’s side have looked out of sorts defensively, and Sports Brief reported that the Sky Sports pundit believes that a win away would be Chelsea’s for the taking.

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