Graham Potter confirms major Reece James injury…

Graham Potter confirms major Reece James injury decision amid Chelsea sack pressure

Graham Potter has confirmed he cannot play Reece James for 90 minutes every Chelsea match. The right-back’s fitness is still being managed as he continues to recover from the recent knee injury he sustained.

The 23-year-old has had a tough season on the injury front. Having missed the World Cup due a knee problem he sustained against AC Milan in October, he suffered a setback in his first game back, as he was forced off after 53 minutes at Stamford Bridge in the final game of 2022.

Feeling comfort in the same knee, James left the stadium wearing a knee brace, and faced another extended spell on the sidelines. Following this latest disappointment, James described his “tough” year on social media.

"2022 has been the toughest year to date," he wrote. "Just wanna thank you all for the support, none of you go unnoticed. It's naturally effected [sic] me mentally, I'm currently just tryna deal with the cards I've been dealt.

“I hope your end of year is filled with peace, joy & happiness.” Potter is hoping to avoid a similar situation arising by managing his workload and minimising the risks of further setbacks.

“I’ve tried to explain many times about long-term injuries,” the Chelsea manager told the club’s 5th stand app. “Players are just not able to play three games in a week [after these injuries].

“I have a duty of care to them, and to their welfare, to make sure they’re not on the pitch and risking injury. If Reece James injures himself because of an overload issue because he hasn’t had time to recover or play three games in a week, that is on me. Obviously, I take the consequences, which are we change the team.”

This decision has been made despite the pivotal role James plays in the side, and how the Blues look a much poorer outfit in his absence. The England international’s first game back saw him last an hour against Fulham at the start of February.

Since then, he has played 90 minutes on three occasions, missing only the home loss to Southampton, where he was left out of the squad altogether. This came as James had played more minutes than was initially planned following his return.

Chelsea were hopeful that rest would allow the first-choice right-back to feature in important clashes against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Borussia Dortmund in the second-leg of their Champions-league last-16 tie. James did indeed manage 90 minutes against Spurs, although failed to help his side avoid a third straight defeat.

While James continues to shake off his knee issue, Potter was faced with another addition to Chelsea’s injury list, after Thiago Silva sustained his own knee ligament injury in Sunday’s defeat. Although there is little the club can do to avoid contact injuries like Silva’s, Potter and his staff continue to do all they can to ensure James doesn’t face yet another setback.

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