Reece James is seeking guidance from Thiago Silva, his teammate at Chelsea, on being a captain. James jokingly reminds Silva that he is much younger than him, saying, “You’re almost old enough to be my dad.”.
As a 23-year-old, James has been given the responsibility of being the captain at Stamford Bridge for the 2023-24 season. Although he is still relatively inexperienced, he has already played over 150 matches for Chelsea and has represented England 16 times.
James, a local talent, aims to set a good example in west London and is grateful to have a 39-year-old teammate to seek advice from. James shared with Chelsea’s official website: “The captaincy has been great. But it was difficult when I wasn’t fit because it is hard to affect things as much when I’m not with the group all the time. Thiago probably helps me the most whenever I’m unsure, or I feel like I need advice on something. He is nearly old enough to be my dad! So he is the person I go to. It’s not for me to say what sort of captain I am, but I’ve enjoyed it so far. It’s an honour.”
After recovering from injury, James is now back in action for Chelsea. He has faced numerous fitness issues in the past but claims to be in a better state than he has been in a while. He further stated: “I haven’t felt this good in a long time. I definitely feel my strength and fitness building up again. Recently, I’ve been able to play consistently. I haven’t been able to play 90 minutes yet, but I’m training and playing hard, and pushing the limits every day to get back to my best level. I’m happy to be helping the team again as well. After almost three months out, it takes a while to build back up and find your form again. Some people think as soon as you come back you should instantly be at the level you left at, but it doesn’t work like that. You have to move slow and steady. That’s what I have been doing. I’m slowly progressing.”
Chelsea, known for their extravagant spending, are still struggling to find stability under the management of Mauricio Pochettino. They will return to Premier League action on November 25th with a challenging away game against Newcastle.
