This is the third post in our four-part series on Reece James, a hometown talent of Chelsea FC who joined the club at age six and now leads the senior team.
At a Glance
- Analyze the critical role of modern-day full-back players
- Compare and contrast Reece’s stats against top players in his role
- Highlight how recent injuries have adversely impacted Reece’s progress
Reece James’s growth trajectory started hitting bumps in late 2021 when he suffered his first major hamstring injury, sidelining him for a few games. Over the next year, he injured his knee and faced several hamstring setbacks, resulting in a 35-match absence between October 2022 and October 2023.
Notorious for high recurrence and lingering impact on performance, hamstring injuries are one of the most common non-contact injuries in football. In Reece's case, the recurring hamstring issues led to surgery in December 2023. It was followed by a lengthy recovery and training period to regain match fitness, which resulted in him missing nearly the entire 2023–24 season and an additional 11 games in the 2024–25 season.
To understand how injuries have impacted Reece and his ability to support the team, we first need to examine the role he plays within the squad. Next, we need to look at players in similar roles who haven’t been sidelined by long-term injuries, to see how consistent availability has shaped their performances. Finally, by comparing Reece’s per-game stats over time and against similar players, we can assess whether his ability to contribute has declined or remained steady despite the setbacks.
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A Unique Profile
Reece is a modern hybrid full-back. Unlike traditional full-backs, who mainly stay back to defend against attacks on the wings, hybrid full-backs take on a bigger role in creating progressive plays. They are effective in combining defensive duties with overlapping runs, inverted plays, and even stepping into midfield roles when needed, giving the team greater tactical flexibility.
Reece possesses a rare combination of technical skill, versatility, ball control, pinpoint crossing, and physical strength. These qualities set him apart from most modern full-backs. Football legend and pundit Ian Wright told ITV the following about Reece:
“He’s got everything. His delivery is amazing, his closing down. He’s got the ability and strength to progress the ball, he’s so combative. He’s a super player.”
Players who share this profile and have managed to stay injury-free have become instrumental to their teams' successes, playing key roles in title-winning campaigns in recent years. Two standout examples are João Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contributions to their respective teams highlight the high value of such dynamic defenders in elite football. By comparing Reece to Cancelo and Alexander-Arnold, we get a clearer picture of how closely aligned they are in terms of impact and playing style. More importantly, it helps us understand the kind of transformative effect Reece could have on Chelsea’s performance, as long as he maintains his health and fitness throughout the season.
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How Effective are Hybrid Full-Backs?
João Cancelo was a pivotal figure in the dominating Manchester City team that won back-to-back Premier League titles in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons. He was also part of the squad that lifted the FA Cup in 2019 and the EFL (Carabao) Cup in 2020–21. In the 2020–21 campaign, Cancelo helped Manchester City reach the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in the club’s history, where they were ultimately defeated by Chelsea. Under Pep Guardiola’s leadership, City evolved into a relentless goal-scoring machine, breaking the 92-year-old record of highest goals scored by an English team in a calendar year in 2021. Cancelo’s ball control, technical precision, and progressive passing were central to that success, often playing in inverted roles or stepping into midfield when required.
Another standout hybrid full-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, has earned global recognition for his elite-level crossing and passing range. Much like Reece James, Trent plays a crucial role in orchestrating attacking moves, consistently distributing the ball across the pitch with accuracy and vision. Between 2019 and 2025, he was featured in over 90% of Liverpool’s matches and was an indispensable part of their trophy-laden era. During this period, Liverpool secured two Premier League titles, two EFL Cups, one FA Cup, one FA Community Shield, a UEFA Champions League title, and a UEFA Super Cup. His decorated time at Liverpool came to an end recently, when he decided to move to Real Madrid after the end of the 2024-25 season.
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Similar in playing style and skills to Reece, both Cancelo and Alexander-Arnold have served as highly productive full-backs for their respective clubs. The charts below compare their total Expected Assists (xA), Key Passes, and Goal Involvement over the past four seasons. While Reece’s injury problems led to a drastic drop in his total contributions during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, both Cancelo and Alexander-Arnold maintained a steady level of output, consistently delivering positive results for their teams every season.
It's important to note that Reece's average stats have remained consistent across all seasons, even during periods when he was mostly sidelined due to injury.
Metric Definitions
- Expected Assists (xA): A measure of the likelihood that a given pass will become a goal assist, based on factors like pass type and location.
- Key Passes: Passes that directly lead to a shot, highlighting a player's creative contributions.
- Goal Involvement: The total number of goals and assists a player contributes to, reflecting their direct impact on scoring.
- Cross Completion Rate: The percentage of a player's crosses that successfully reach a teammate.
- Dribble Completion Rate: The percentage of attempted dribbles where the player successfully beats their opponent.
- Pass Completion Rate: The percentage of a player's passes that successfully reach a teammate.
Raw Talent
When comparing average per-game metrics, the three players show similar levels of output across all four seasons. The same pattern exists for cross, pass, and dribble rates as well.
Reece's consistent production rates across all seasons—regardless of whether he is fit, injured, or recovering—underscore his innate talent. This highlights his quality, attributing his success not to luck, form, or mere streaks. As England's current manager, Thomas Tuchel, noted after Reece's performance in the recent World Cup qualifiers:
"There cannot be any doubt about Reece's quality, it's the highest level. " (Sky Sports)
Chelsea could have used a consistent top-quality game changer in the recent years. The 2023 and 2024 seasons brought significant changes to the club, including new ownership, new management, and a complete overhaul of the squad and back-room staff. In such turbulent times, the team desperately needed their dependable high-caliber leader, who is capable of lifting the team through steady and positive performances.
Summary
In this edition, we discussed Reece James' recent injury struggles and their impact on his playing time. Despite these challenges, his statistics reflect a consistent and competent performance, comparable to other top-tier players. This shows how important Reece is to Chelsea’s chances of winning trophies.
In the next edition, we will analyze data from 2025 to identify patterns and forecast how Reece's presence could influence Chelsea's upcoming season.
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