There were 18 minutes still to play at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening when Thomas Tuchel opted to make a double change to his Chelsea side against Leicester City. Off went N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic. On came Ruben Loftus-Cheek and somewhat strangely, Cesar Azpilicueta.
Given the contest was level at 1-1, there appeared little need for the Spaniard, who at 32 years old remains an excellent one-vs-one defender but not a consistent threat in the final third. Yet it soon became apparent as to why Azpilicueta was called upon. Tuchel was going to let Reece James run wild.
The academy graduate has been used at right wing-back for much of the campaign; it's the position he started in against Leicester and one from which he claimed an assist for Marcos Alonso's equaliser. But James has experience of playing in midfield and with very little riding on the final result against Leicester, it was the ideal chance for Tuchel to run an experiment.
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He dropped James into midfield alongside Jorginho and Loftus-Cheek and gave the 22-year-old licence to roam. At one point, he was on the right of the three. Soon after, he operated from the left. What stood out, though, was no matter where James played, no matter where he received the ball, he remained the most composed Chelsea player on the pitch.
That's a testament to James' natural ability and temperament. He rarely appears flustered or overawed. It's why Tuchel has such confidence in the England international, who was deployed at centre-back against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu last month and was flawless against Vinicius Junior.
James is one of the pillars around which Tuchel must construct his Chelsea side. That much is clear – and why he is expected to be offered a new contract when the consortium led by the U.S. billionaire Todd Boehly completes its takeover of the club from Roman Abramovich.
That Real Madrid have shown an interest in James is telling, but the boyhood Chelsea supporter still has much to accomplish at Stamford Bridge. He will want to win a Premier League title. An FA Cup too given the disappointment he has experienced in the competition thus far.
It's also no secret that James would like to captain the Blues in the future. In that respect, he would be following in the footsteps of John Terry, going from academy graduate to Chelsea captain to club legend. And there is little doubt he has the potential to do so if he remains at the club for the foreseeable future.
"He has everything that it takes to be one of the very best, but there is a long way to go for Reece," Thomas Tuchel said after Chelsea's draw against Leicester.
"There is some incredible potential and he has the ability, the foundation, the body, the physique, the mindset to make his way to the very top, but there is still a long way to go. We will support him. We will push him so he can be that player for Chelsea."
