The prospect of Reece James playing in midfield has, for a good while, felt a bit like that of nuclear war. You know it happened once, are forever being warned it could again, but so far… well, actually, let’s not go jinxing anything just now.
The point is that though while James famously played part of his teenage loan spell at Wigan in the middle of the park, and has been touted as having the skill set to transition ever since, it is an option almost no Chelsea manager has used. In turning to it twice in the last fortnight, Enzo Maresca has already done so more often from the start of matches than all of his predecessors combined.
