Thomas Tuchel was mightily impressed with Reece James’ performance for England at the AT&T Stadium on Wednesday night.
Reece James was given the opportunity to showcase his value in the middle of the park towards the end of England’s win over Croatia, and he certainly caught the eye. The Chelsea captain played a starring role at the AT&T Stadium on Wednesday night as the Three Lions got off to a winning start at the World Cup.
Eager to extend England’s lead, Thomas Tuchel made a handful of changes shortly after the second-half hydration break. Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka replaced Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke on either flank, while Declan Rice made way for Morgan Rogers.
The Three Lions lost a little control in midfield, and Djed Spence later came on for Jude Bellingham. James took the wheel in the middle of the park, allowing the Tottenham Hotspur defender to slot into his natural position.
A few moments later, England doubled their lead when the Chelsea captain combined with each of the four substitutes. The counter-attack began when Spence, who was under pressure on the far side, offloaded the ball to James.
FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Without hesitation, the Cobham graduate fired a first-time pass up to Bukayo Saka on the touchline, taking Mateo Kovacic out of the game. The Arsenal winger shrugged off Josko Gvardiol before feeding Morgan Rogers.
Spence had continued his run from deep and forced a mistake from Nikola Vlasic when the Aston Villa midfielder attempted to play him in-behind. Saka pounced on the loose ball and picked out Rashford, who then chopped inside and beat Dominik Livakovic from close range.
Had James not threaded the eye of the needle, the Three Lions would not have put the fourth and final nail in the coffin. Although the 26-year-old didn’t cover himself in glory at right-back, he did make quite the impression in midfield, leaving Tuchel mightily impressed.
Speaking to reporters after the World Cup opener, the England boss said: “Declan had some unusual ball losses, and I saw a bit of discomfort. Then I asked him, and he pointed directly to his lower back and upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort.
“I didn’t want to take any risks, and if I take Declan off, which I never want to do, it was the moment to protect. I think Reece James did so well to replace him in midfield; he did a fantastic game.
“I hope it’s nothing more, Declan just reassured me at the end ‘it’s good, it’s good’ and I know the discomfort, we will take care of it. It’s nothing big to worry about.”
On Wednesday night, James proved to Xabi Alonso that he’s more than capable of featuring in midfield. The Chelsea captain looks set to play a key role for the new manager, regardless of whether that’s at right-back, right centre-half in a back-three or in the middle of the park.
When Alonso first took the reins of Real Sociedad B in June 2019, he used a 4-2-3-1. He then began experimenting with a back-three towards the end of his spell in San Sebastián.
At Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso embraced the new formation, fielding a 3-4-2-1 that required a double pivot, two narrow attacking midfielders to create a box, and flying wing-backs. Despite having enjoyed so much success with the setup in Germany, the former Liverpool midfielder reverted to a back-four to accommodate as many of Real Madrid’s household names as possible.
As it stands, it remains unclear what formation Alonso will deploy at Chelsea, but James must ultimately be central to his plans.
Get Chelsea’s new 2026/27 home kit
£89.99
Nike
Buy Now on Nike
Chelsea have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27 season, said to be ‘a celebration of the club’s Italian Renaissance.
