Reece James Finally Back? Navigating 2025 Without Injuries
Reece James has made his 200th appearance for Chelsea – achieving this milestone against Nottingham Forest. For a 25-year-old academy graduate, this number feels surprisingly low. The English defender made his club debut in the summer of 2019 and reached his century of appearances back in early December 2021.
The future looks brighter now: James has been plagued by injuries for years, but they seem to have finally released their grip – in 2025, Reece hasn’t missed a single match due to physical problems.
Maresca’s Caution Helps James: Only One Injury in 18 Months
Enzo Maresca became acquainted with James’s injury troubles almost immediately: Reece damaged his hamstring during the 2024 preseason.
“I know he’s had various problems in previous years, but I’m not sure if he suffered a similar injury this time. The damage didn’t occur during training – he got it in the match against Real Madrid,” the coach shared.
James only recovered by mid-October. Maresca immediately made it clear – the player would be handled with care: “Reece’s body won’t allow him to play twice a week at this stage. We’ll carefully build him up to matches – currently only once per week.”
The Recovery Journey
The initial approach didn’t completely prevent setbacks – James managed only three matches before feeling knee pain. Maresca reassured everyone that nothing serious had happened, though he didn’t specify timelines. Reece missed a month and a half and 10 matches – marking his last hamstring injury to date.
Importantly, both injuries under Enzo affected James’s left leg, whereas previously he had struggled with his right. The club remained calm: a recurrence after surgery would have been more concerning.
Since then, Reece hasn’t suffered any serious injuries. In 2025, James missed just one week – when several Chelsea players caught a virus in March, including their captain. A minor issue prevented Reece from playing for the national team during the October international break, but this wasn’t muscular – he suffered a cut to his shin in the match against Liverpool.
Individualized Approach Pays Dividends
Maresca has repeatedly emphasized the club’s tailored approach to James: “He’s doing fine. Yes, sometimes he trains separately from the team, but only because we’ve developed a personal program for him. We try to protect him, monitoring his training more closely. This helps keep him in shape.”
The results speak for themselves – James is playing consistently again. In the 2025/26 Premier League season, Reece has logged 604 minutes on the pitch – already more than the entire 2023/24 season and half of his playing time from the previous Premier League campaign.
Tactical Adaptation: The Hidden Key to Success
It appears James has been helped not only by surgery and managed playing time but also by tactical adjustments. Maresca often recalls Reece’s past in defensive midfield – James delivered 13 confident matches for Wigan in central midfield and played in defensive roles during his youth career.
Under Enzo, Reece has appeared 22 times as a right-back, with another 11 appearances as a defensive midfielder (including in the Club World Cup final against PSG).
The Englishman was particularly frequently deployed in midfield early in the year. This surprised many: Malo Gusto, playing as right-back, was struggling defensively, but the coach insisted: “From the very beginning of my work at Chelsea, I viewed Reece as a defensive midfielder.”
Perhaps this very decision has protected James from new injuries, allowing him to finally showcase his quality consistently for Chelsea and England supporters who have waited so long to see him fulfill his enormous potential.
