Reece James
CHEEngland
Right
Dec 8, 1999
26
5'11"
181 lb
RB
CM
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Should start finale
James is expected to be fine for Sunday's finale against Sunderland. According to interim coach Calum McFarlane, "We had Reece on the bench tonight but, again, coming off the back of an injury, the turnaround from the City game, the type of game that the City game was, we didn't really want to risk him in that moment."
Analysis: James stayed on the bench Tuesday against Tottenham, but there was no reason to push him too far after going 83 minutes in Saturday's FA Cup final. Given his injury history, multiple starts in a short period is unlikely in the next couple months, depending on how Thomas Tuchel wants to use him during the World Cup. Either way, he seems to be fully fit and ready ahead of the World Cup with 90 minutes a possibility in Sunday's final against Sunderland.
Trained well this week
James (hamstring) has trained well this week and is hopeful of featuring in Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City, according to coach Calum McFarlane. "He's trained well this week; we're happy with Reece. It was good to get him minutes against Liverpool and I felt he played well when he came on. So, it's largely positive around Reece. In the lead-up to the Liverpool game, we were confident he was able to play those minutes and he came through them well. He's trained well this week and we're really hopeful he can finish the season in that sort of form."
Analysis: James had missed seven consecutive matches with the hamstring issue before returning to action against Liverpool last weekend, and manager Calum McFarlane's positive comments suggest he is well on track to feature in the final. The versatile defender has started 20 of his 28 Premier League appearances this season, and his potential involvement in the FA Cup final would be a welcome boost for Chelsea heading into Saturday's showpiece fixture. His ability to come through last weekend's minutes without setback is an encouraging sign ahead of Wembley.
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