At half-time against Dinamo Zagreb, Reece James had more touches than any player on the opposition side. The ball for Chelsea was being swung around the field and often ended up at the feet of the 22-year-old. It was to no avail.
The Blues were lax and ended a half that they dominated possession wise, behind. In part this shows the good and the bad of Chelsea's current system. It is asking a lot of James - who has arguably been their best player this season - but it is also asking too much of him.
James has become the livewire in an otherwise uncreative Chelsea side and although it is a great virtue when things are going well, the move to look to the right-hand side and to James is too simple when not in free flow.
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That's the situation that Chelsea are currently in. The attack is yet to click, the midfield is offering a minimal amount in support and, as the defence ships goals too easily, results are under the microscope as well as some disappointing performances.
Having just signed a new long-term deal to stay at Stamford Bridge, James is the go-to topic of discussion and Joe Cole has revealed just how much of an impact James has on his team. "You know how I feel about Reece," he said before the Zagreb match. "I think he is outstanding and I was lucky enough to coach him at Chelsea, and everyday he impresses me with something different.
"First, it was his technique, and then it will be his physicality and then his mentality, he ticks all the boxes you want in a young player. He has become a Chelsea player, an England player and he is a vital member of both camps now, and I think he has become a leader in the dressing room and is someone in big games that Chelsea look to, to make that difference."
Peter Crouch was in agreement, and hinted that James could have the nod on his international teammate. "It's frightening, if Trent-Alexander Arnold was not around, he [James] would be a shoe-in at right-back, but he might still rival that place. He is becoming a leader, he has strength, defensively he is very good, and his delivery is first-class. With his deliveries, I wish I was still around."
It also poses the question as to how Chelsea can get the best out of James. His strength has made him a good defensive option at centre-back, his all-round game makes him a brilliant full-back and his attacking prowess has shown at wing-back, and it's something that Tuchel is only too aware of.
When speaking to Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport's Between the lines, the German said, "He is super important, he is so good individually, he is so strong. He is so confident to have the ball and to find solutions. He trusts himself. The quality of his foot, the long passes, diagonal passes, deliveries, it's sometimes hard to understand where he should play.
"We have a double-six who can control the space. The difference between a wingback, he should and needs to attack with Chilly [Ben Chilwell] as a wingback. With the three strikers they need to be in the box otherwise you simply lack numbers.
"This needs to happen. It's a strength and a weakness of the system, that you rely on your wingbacks to give you huge width and sometimes a switch of play. Sometimes you can lose the connection when you're not fluid enough in your game.
"He, in my opinion, as a wingback does not have to think about coverage, we have still three [defenders] and two sixes to cover this space and control the counter attack. This gives him the freedom to fully attack, which he likes."
Remarking upon James' flexibility and attacking play, Ferdinand had a big comparison to make, saying, "He's almost as high, in line with the three forwards, that's a Mo Salah position."
As much as the logic for Tuchel is there, the issue is that his current Chelsea side aren't playing with the fluidity that he needs to make the wingbacks more effective currently, and whilst James is a brilliant option to have in that position, he has too much to do right now.
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