Reece James posts 'huge' Chelsea message

Chelsea captain and right-back Reece James celebrated on social media following the team’s 4-3 victory against arch-rivals Tottenham last night.

The 25-year-old remains sidelined after managing only 662 minutes of Premier League football this season.

A setback with his hamstring injury prompted pundit Troy Deeney to controversially suggest James should consider suing if he’s been relying on private medical staff.

Despite his injury woes, James celebrated both his birthday and the derby win on Instagram, writing: “Lovely Birthday W on north London soil!” He then added, “Huge team performance”.

Several Chelsea players joined in on social media to mark the victory. Cole Palmer simply captioned his post “Chippy” after scoring a cheeky Panenka penalty to seal the fourth goal.

Defender Wesley Fofana, also sidelined by injury took to social media to mock their rivals too. He captioned his story: “It’s too cold in Tottenham.” Celebrating Palmer’s goal and celebration.

Enzo Maresca shows Chelsea can perform without key man

Enzo Maresca and his team have now won four of their last five Premier League matches. Chelsea sit second with 31 points, just behind Liverpool on 35.

Their impressive start to the season has caught the attention of rivals, and with Manchester City and Arsenal both dropping points, the Blues have shown they don’t buckle under pressure.

They’ve also demonstrated resilience despite setbacks to key players, like £70 million Fofana [BBC Sport] and captain James, with their strong league form continuing.

Despite criticism of their bloated squad and high transfer fees, such concerns are beginning to fade.

The West London side have strong depth and a squad that can compete, with rotation proving no issue. They made up to seven changes against Southampton on 4 December and thrashed them 5-1, with little impact on performance.

Maresca isn’t afraid to give direct, constructive criticism, a tactic that could give the team the extra push they need.

He said: “My intentions with Reece, or my intentions with Noni [Madueke], or my intentions with the next one – I don’t know who it will be, it depends on what I see day-by-day in our sessions – is not because there is any bad intention.

It is because I really care for them, and I really want the best for them.” [via Chelseafc.com]

Chelsea will travel to Kazakhstan on Thursday (12 December) to face FC Astana in the Europa Conference League.

In other news, Marc Cucurella has hit back at Chelsea fans.

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