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Enzo Maresca has called out club captain Reece James' leadership ability ahead of Chelsea's game against Newcastle
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has publicly challenged club captain Reece James to elevate his leadership, stating he "expected more" from the 24-year-old defender.
Maresca questions James’ leadership
In comments ahead of Chelsea’s upcoming clash with Newcastle, Maresca was forthright about his expectations for James, stating that, as captain, he must "give more than the rest" to inspire those around him.
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Reflecting on private conversations, Maresca shared, "Reece is on the way, he’s progressing, but from him, and as his teammates expect, I hoped for more leadership."
He stressed that James has the support of the club but must show greater resilience and influence in the dressing room.
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James’s availability remains a concern for Chelsea, as his injury record has prompted the coaching staff to manage his playing time cautiously.
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Following his return against Liverpool, where he played just under an hour, Chelsea has limited James’s appearances to once a week to help him regain full fitness gradually.
Maresca exposes lack of leadership in Chelsea squad
With limited options for natural leaders, Maresca noted Chelsea’s need to foster leadership qualities within the squad.
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Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s game against Newcastle, Maresca said, ‘When you don’t have a proper leader, you need to build that. I think we don’t have a proper leader. Probably Tosin [Adarabioyo] is one of the guys that is. The rest, we need to build them.
'Reece is there, he’s on the way but he’s not there. He needs to make an effort in that one. Levi [Colwill] probably at the beginning of the season was not a leader but now you can see that he is one of the guys that is always speaking. We need to build that.”
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After their mid-week win over Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa Conference League, Chelsea will take on Newcastle in the Premier League, hoping to push for a place in the top four.
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