Declan Rice, Dominic Solanke react to Reece James after Chelsea’s UECL victory
Arsenal star Declan Rice and Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke reacted to Chelsea captain Reece James on social media.
The Blues have endured a bumpy season under the stewardship of the sometimes fractious Enzo Maresca.
But having qualified for the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday (25 May), Chelsea capped their season off by winning the Conference League against Real Betis.
The West London side struggled in the first half, going 1-0 down thanks to a piece of magic from former Real Madrid man Isco.
However, after James replaced Malo Gusto at half-time, Chelsea looked a side reborn and scored at will, with goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho, and Moises Caicedo culminating in a 4-1 score-line.
Reece James adds UECL to trophy cabinet with Chelsea
Following the win over Los Verdiblancos, James shared three photos on Instagram celebrating with the trophy and his teammates.
The post was liked by Arsenal‘s Rice and Tottenham’s Solanke, with both players showing support for their England teammate.
Having been on loan at Wigan in the 2018/19 season, James missed out on Chelsea’s Europa League final win over the Gunners, but the 25-year-old does hold a Champions League medal from the 2020/21 season.
Reece James injury issues continue to plague Chelsea captain
Football Insider Verdict
It is no coincidence that Chelsea looked a completely different team after James’ introduction at half-time.
Few players on earth can have the impact the 25-year-old does from the right-back position.
But James’ continued injury issues make it difficult for Maresca to rely on the defender, as for each great performance the captain has, it is almost always followed by a period on the side-lines.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | James |
| Appearances | 19 |
| Starts | 12 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Minutes | 1,064 |
Having produced a moment of genius against Man United, the England international suffered another injury setback leading to his benching against Betis.
Maresca has attempted to combat this by using James in midfield, but there may come a time in the near future that the Italian stops relying on the 25-year-old entirely if his lack of availability continues to be an issue.