Enzo Maresca has said Reece James is ready to play three games in a week for Chelsea after an injury-free start to the new campaign.
The club captain has been eased back into action following a succession of injuries over the last four years, but has featured in all of the Blues’ opening 10 Premier League games this season.
James has been used in midfield under Maresca, impressing in the centre of the park during the Blues’ 1-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday, to ease the Englishman’s workload, and the Chelsea head coach now says he is 100 per cent fit after a torrid spell of injuries.
“Reece is good, he is doing well. He is fit, 100%. The way he has behaved every game is top. Even when he is not playing, the way he is with his team-mates in the dressing room,” Maresca said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League tie with Qarabag.
He is ready to play three games in a week
“In the way we use Reece, we don't use him up and down. It's a big job to do that when we use a full-back in a different way. He is ready to play three games in a week.”
James’s ability to play in midfield has also allowed Maresca to use Romeo Lavia more sparingly as he works his way back to full fitness, having struggled with injuries since signing for the club from Southampton in 2023.
The midfielder has played just 29 games for Chelsea in a little over two years, and Maresca said Lavia was still some way from being fully fit.
“The main target for Romeo is now to be fit. Don't get any injuries. For me, in this moment, Romeo is where Reece was more or less one year ago in terms of being back after a long time,” Maresca continued.
“We need to manage him all the time. The target for him is to keep him fit. We need to be very careful with him because we don't want him to be out again, and finally, he can enjoy being a footballer.”
Lavia’s minutes are being monitored along with several other key first-team players, including Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Joao Pedro, and Maresca said that his job was to protect the 21-year-old.
“The [Nottingham] Forest game, we planned 45 minutes for him. Ajax, he played one hour or 70 minutes. He played well vs Tottenham. We are happy with Romeo. I would like to have him on the pitch always, but it's my duty to protect him.”
