Why Mauricio Pochettino chose to name Reece James on the bench for Manchester United vs Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Reece James has been left on the bench against Manchester United because the Blues need to build his momentum and confidence. Chelsea's captain was expected to return to the starting XI having missed the west London side's win over Brighton at the weekend.
James picked up his suspension after collecting two yellow cards against Newcastle United in Chelsea's last away trip. The defender is yet to complete 90 minutes this season.
Pochettino appears conscious of rushing James back into the starting XI, and hopes to take of his progression.
Chelsea's head coach said: «Reece is not starting because I think we need to care about him, we need to build his momentum. After Newcastle, he was banned for Brighton and the most important thing for him now is to build his confidence little by little. At the moment, we prefer he’ll be on the bench.»
James is joined on the bench by Benoit Badiashile, who loses his place in the back four as Marc Cucurella returns to the lineup after a suspension of his own. The Spaniard's reintroduction will see either Axel Disasi or Levi Colwill move into a central position alongside Thiago Silva.
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A number of youngsters have also been named among the substitutes. Alfie Gilchrist, Deivid Washington, Alex Matos and Leo Castledine all making the trip. The latter recently extended his contract with the club until 2027.
Chelsea XI — Sanchez, Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Sterling, Mudryk, Jackson.
Substitutes — Petrovic, Gilchrist, Badiashile, James, Maatsen, Castledine, Matos,
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