Enzo Maresca has confirmed the reason behind Reece James’ absence from the Chelsea matchday squad in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Seagulls in the fourth-round clash at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night. A Bart Verbruggen own goal in the early minutes was the only way Chelsea were able to get on the score sheet as they exit the competition. Goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma for Brighton were enough to knock Maresca’s team out of the FA Cup.
James has been restricted to just nine appearances for Chelsea this season, with injury often keeping the Blues captain on the sidelines. Two separate hamstring injuries have kept the right-back in the treatment room for large portions of the campaign so far before he made his second return last month to become a regular in the team once again.
There was some concern on Saturday night after James was not included in the Chelsea squad that travelled to Brighton for FA Cup tie. Maresca, though, confirmed that James’ absence was not injury related and the decision to leave the defender out of the squad was pre-planned.
“It was planned,” Maresca told reporters after the defeat to Brighton when asked about James not being in the matchday squad.
“He [James] is okay, he is training but is was to protect him.”
It remains to be seen if Maresca will recall James to the matchday squad when Chelsea travel to Brighton again next week, this time in the Premier League. The Blues go into the game fourth in the league standings and will look to close the four-point gap on third-placed Nottingham Forest with a win on the south coast.
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