“Wow…” – Journalist taken aback by “uncomfortable” situation with Chelsea star

Chelsea captain Reece James has recently received something of a dressing down from manager Enzo Maresca, and journalist Melissa Reddy has admitted to being quite taken aback by his outspoken style.

The Blues have made a decent start under Maresca since he took over from Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, but at times he’s perhaps raised eyebrows by his forthright style of communication.

Speaking in the video clip below, Reddy admits she finds the current situation between Maresca and James a bit uncomfortable, whilst also admitting that the Italian tactician’s slightly unorthodox man-management style being a bit difficult to get used to, even if she also feels it’s refreshing to hear more honesty about situations that would normally be kept private…

"It feels uncomfortable" ??

Melissa Reddy on Enzo Maresca's criticism of Reece James' leadership abilities ? pic.twitter.com/WvzRorYVPP

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 27, 2024

Chelsea fans will no doubt have mixed opinions on this, as James is a top player on his day, but it could be that he’d benefit from this wake-up call from his manager.

On the flip side, however, the England international might have responded better to this if it had been kept behind closed doors, though we’ll never know for sure if this perhaps started out as a private matter before Maresca felt he needed to go public to get more of a reaction from the player.

Is Reece James the right fit for Chelsea captain?

“I spoke with him and I expect from him more in terms of leadership inside the changing room,” Maresca said, as quoted by the Daily Mirror.

It will be interesting to see how this develops, and if it perhaps leads to James losing the armband at some point, with plenty of other players perhaps more suited to that role of being the club captain.

This is a bit of a personal blow for James, though, who has had so many injury problems in recent times that may well have contributed to him being a bit below par in terms of Maresca’s expectations of him.