Reece James issues Chelsea warning after Mauricio Pochettino's ambitious claim
Mauricio Pochettino arrived at Stamford Bridge insisting Chelsea never allow for a transition period because they demand instant results.
It was an ambitious statement from the Chelsea boss but, just three months into Pochettino’s reign, you are beginning to see a stark improvement. The first six Premier League games of Pochettino’s reign saw Chelsea manage just one win, they drew twice and lost to West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
It looked like a dangerous period for Pochettino. Despite their huge £1billion outlay under new owner Todd Boehly, they had somehow managed to concede one more goal than the six they scored and were languishing in 14th place. Chelsea did not appear to be so much in transition and were repeating last season’s mistakes as an unsettled dressing room with an unbalanced squad were underachieving again.
However, the next six games tell a different story of Pochettino’s reign. Three wins, two draws and just one defeat with 16 goals for, 10 against and they also played three of the top four in Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City. The 4-4 draw with Manchester City should go down as a Premier League classic and it also highlighted Pochettino's progress and how the ex-Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss is turning Chelsea into being an entertaining team again.
Pochettino can now start looking upwards because they are up to 10th place, go to Newcastle on Saturday for another test of their new-found confidence and suddenly the huge raft of signings, new faces and different players look to have a shape and identity. Chelsea captain Reece James insists the last six weeks have shown what the new-look team is about and that they are making genuine progress under Pochettino.
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James said: “We’re still a fairly new group. The more time we spend with each other the more understanding we have. That helps us. We have come a long way. Our performances in the past five or six weeks have picked up. Everyone is happy around the place. Our confidence is growing.
Mauricio Pochettino appointed Reece James as his Chelsea captain (Getty Images for Premier League)"Results help that. It’s the starting point. When we’re performing well as a team people are going to try more things and look more confident. We’ve had a tough run of games, and we’ve picked up some good points. We have stepped up. We need to keep building on this now.”
James himself has been a key factor in arguably Chelsea’s most impressive performances in their 4-1 win at Tottenham and the eight-goal thriller against City. However, James has yet to complete 90 minutes this season and did not join up with England as he stayed behind at Chelsea to work on his match fitness and to ensure he does not have any more setbacks.
James said: “I definitely feel my strength and fitness building up again. Recently, I’ve been able to play consistently. I haven’t been able to play 90 minutes yet, but I’m training and playing hard, and pushing the limits every day to get back to my best level.
“I’m happy to be helping the team again as well. After almost three months out, it takes a while to build back up and find your form again. Some people think as soon as you come back you should instantly be at the level you left at, but it doesn’t work like that. You have to move slow and steady. That’s what I have been doing. I’m slowly progressing.”
James is 23, is already seen as a leader because he was given the armband but also says that he takes lessons from Thiago Silva who he regards as a father figure. He added: “The captaincy has been great, but it was difficult when I wasn’t fit because it is hard to affect things as much when I’m not with the group all the time.
“Thiago probably helps me the most whenever I’m unsure, or I feel like I need advice on something. He is nearly old enough to be my dad! So he is the person I go to. It’s not for me to say what sort of captain I am, but I’ve enjoyed it so far. It’s an honour.”
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