Micah Richards gushes over ‘outstanding’ Chelsea player, he can cause ‘all kinds of damage’
Enzo Maresca has a special player on his hands if the Chelsea boss can keep him fully fit during the 2025-26 campaign.
Maresca has to manage several big egos in the Chelsea squad, having added the likes of Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho, and Liam Delap to the squad over the summer.
Pedro admitted to being scared of Cole Palmer due to his influence at Stamford Bridge, but the duo have worked in tandem whenever on the pitch together. Admittedly, that has not been a lot this season.
The former Leicester City boss has been handed a couple of setbacks already, with Levi Colwill picking up a season-ending injury during pre-season, and Delap also being sidelined with a hamstring issue.
He will certainly be hoping to avoid any more injuries, and Micah Richards feels exactly the same way.
Micah Richards is a huge fan of Reece James
Analysing his performances against Andorra and Serbia, Richards pointed out Reece James‘ impact for England during the international window, getting excited about the full-back’s future with the Three Lions.
“Reece James was outstanding over the two games. Imagine having a fully fit Reece James and a fully fit Trent [Alexander-Arnold] for the World Cup. They can cause you all kinds of damage,” he said on The Rest is Football podcast (10 September).
“But he gets a little niggle, and then it takes him a while to get back to his best form. He’s slowly getting back to where he was when he was on fire.
“People talk about Trent’s delivery, which is magnificent, but James’ delivery is very good too, and he can defend.”
What is Reece James’ injury record at Chelsea like recently?
The full-back was benched against West Ham and Fulham, but that appears to be completely strategtic from the manager, given that he appeared as a substitute on both occasions.
However, the last two seasons have been difficult for him. He missed 25 matches for club and country through a persistent hamstring issue in 2024-25, seeing him miss much of the campaign.
In the season before, James underwent surgery, again on a hamstring injury, missing a total of 152 days for Chelsea and England, which has taken so many opportunities away from him.
Maresca, of course, is aware of these struggles and does not want to put strain on the club captain, but if he is to make it to the 2026 World Cup, his minutes on the pitch must increase dramatically.