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ENZO MARESCA LAVISHES PRAISE ON REECE JAMES FOLLOWING STELLAR MIDFIELD SHOWING

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca praised captain Reece James after his dominant midfield display in the 1-0 derby win over Tottenham. James provided crucial physicality alongside Moises Caicedo.

Enzo Maresca Lavishes Praise On Reece James Following Stellar Midfield Showing
Manager Maresca Applauds Reece James - Photo Credit: Getty Images

After playing a crucial part in our derby triumph away at Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea captain Reece James was showered with praise from Enzo Maresca.

Throughout Maresca's tenure as Blues head coach, our captain has switched between his established position at right-back and a new midfield one. On Saturday, he played in the latter at Tottenham.

With yet another outstanding display, Moises Caicedo stole the show and set up Joao Pedro to score the game's lone goal after winning possession. But perhaps even more crucial to the win was his midfield partner for the day.

Our head coach noted that James' presence there was considered vital since Caicedo and James controlled the centre of the field, even though Spurs tried to crowd out the midfield by giving them a numerical advantage there with their team selection.

It somewhat relies on the strategy. Maresca said, "I believe we needed a little bit more physicality in the centre yesterday."

It was anticipated that they would play alongside [Pape Mater] Sarr, [Rodrigo] Bentancur, and [Joao] Palhinha. They had four midfielders, which surprised us because [Lucas] Bergvall also played.

"There should have been a little more physicality in the middle, but it really relies on the strategy."

James did not appear out of place in our midfield once more. Maresca is now in the fortunate position of knowing that he can count on his captain to give his best effort as a midfielder, defender, and—possibly most importantly—a leader.

Enzo continued, "I think Reece is doing wonderful when he is playing as a midfielder, he is doing fantastic when he is playing full-back, and as far as leadership with the players inside the changing room goes."

CHELSEA TARGET ALESSANDRO BASTONI: THE INTER MILAN DEFENDER MAKES A HUGE TRANSFER DECISION

Chelsea’s Maresca and Spurs’ Paratici target Alessandro Bastoni, but the defender is set to snub London for a new Inter deal.

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According to reports in Italy, Chelsea's Enzo Maresca and Tottenham's Fabio Paratici are both very interested in Alessandro Bastoni for a possible move in 2026. The report also shares the Inter Milan defender’s feelings on a switch to either club.

Bastoni, considered one of the world’s best defenders, is a key player for both Inter Milan and the Italian national team. The 26-year-old has won Serie A twice with Inter and was named the league’s best defender for both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.

He also tasted success with Italy, winning Euro 2020. Currently, he seems to be at the height of his career.

With Levi Colwill injured, Chelsea might consider a new defender in January, according to The Telegraph.

FC Inter News reports that Bastoni is the center-back that Chelsea boss Maresca really wants at Stamford Bridge.

The Inter Milan source says that Maresca is a big fan, and so is Paratici, who would love to see the Italian star at Tottenham.

The report mentions that Bastoni has already turned down offers from Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah in the summer of 2025.

Now, Barcelona, the current LaLiga champions, are also showing interest in Bastoni as they aim to win both their league title and the Champions League in 2025/26.

Alessandro Bastoni to discuss new Inter contract

Bastoni isn’t just uninterested in joining Chelsea (or Tottenham); he’s also planning to talk with Inter about a new contract soon.

FC Inter News says that initial talks about extending his current contract, which ends in June 2028, will likely start soon with his agent, Tullio Tinti.

Bastoni is very attached to Inter, where he’s been since 2017, and wants to stay with the club for the long haul.

So far, the center-back has scored seven goals and provided 28 assists in 277 appearances for Inter.

ST. JAMES' CRISIS: CAN CHELSEA OVERCOME FIVE MAJOR FIRST-TEAM INJURIES

With Estevao Willian out and Lavia’s return unknown, we ask: can Enzo Maresca’s squad depth survive a trip to Newcastle United?

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Is Chelsea’s Heavy 2025 Schedule Finally Taking Toll?

Chelsea isn't in crisis, but they do have five first-team players out with injuries. Some Premier League teams have it worse, but Enzo Maresca will be without some key guys for their game against Newcastle United this weekend.

Estevao Willian, Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap, and Levi Colwill, costing the club £130 million, are all out for the trip to St. James' Park on Saturday. Estevao is the latest to be sidelined with a minor muscle issue. Maresca mentioned it after the win at Cardiff City, saying the Brazilian stayed home.

He had a small muscle problem, Maresca said about Estevao. He won't be available for Newcastle, and we'll see about the next game.

StadiumNest understands Estevao should be back for the next game, a home match against Aston Villa on December 27. The club also hopes Essugo will be back soon.

The Portugal Under-21 player had thigh surgery in September and was supposed to return this month, but had another setback. It's not his thigh this time, but it seems unlikely we'll see Essugo before Christmas.

Lavia is still dealing with his injury issues. The 21-year-old went off injured in Chelsea's draw with Qarabag in November and football. London reported that he'd miss at least a month with a quad problem.

It's been more than a month since that update. The media asked Maresca about Lavia on Monday, and he said, We don't know. Lavia won't be back anytime soon.

The same goes for Colwill. He had surgery on a knee injury in August after hurting his ACL during his first preseason session after the Club World Cup. Colwill is expected to miss most of the season since ACL injuries usually keep players out for six to nine months.

As for Delap, he is not expected to play again this year. StadiumNest understands the striker, signed for £30 million this summer, will miss four weeks because of a shoulder injury he got in the draw with Bournemouth earlier this month.

Even with Maresca's best efforts to manage workloads, Chelsea is missing several key players right now. Considering Chelsea's long 2024/25 season, the boss has done well to keep most players on the field.

Players like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Trevoh Chalobah, Pedro Neto, and Marc Cucurella have played a ton of minutes in 2025. Luckily, they've avoided injuries, even though some have had minor issues.

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