Why is Reese James necessary to adapt or he will sink into Chelsea?

This article is compiled from "FourFourTwo", by Rahman Osman

For much of the past five years, Reese James looks like a model of modern full-backs: strong, calm, skilled, and (in healthy) the world's top.

He is a complete Chelsea man, and he was appointed captain last summer, which felt like a perfect combination of ability, character and loyalty.

But football changes rapidly, sometimes even rather cruel.

Is James willing to sit on the bench while being captain?

With the arrival of Enzo Maresca, Stamford Bridge Stadium returned to order, with a clear direction, and a quiet change had already happened.

In tactical fine-tuning, position adjustment and strategies to emphasize ball control, Chelsea has gradually formed a strong lineup, which looks very much like the Best Eleven-man lineup. But the problem is that Rees James (FourFourTwo does not currently list it as the world's top ten right-back) is not among them.

James has returned from injury since January. He was in good shape, had been training and was ready, but when the team sent out the strongest lineup, he was not seen. This is by no means a slight tactile adjustment, but more like big news.

Maresca's tactical system is not suitable for full-backs in the traditional sense, at least not in the traditional sense 20 years ago. James is sometimes arranged to the midfield due to role exchanges, concentration of troops in the middle of the midfield, and emphasis on technical accuracy in a narrow space. He did pretty well, but in a team with a sudden burst of numerous offensive midfielders, it wasn't enough to just perform well.

The bigger problem lies in image and identity. When your captain, who is only 25 years old and one of the club's highest-paid players, cannot gain a place in the starting lineup, it is necessary to question the players, the coach, and the long-term planning.

Of course, this can also be viewed from another perspective. James now faces a challenge that could determine his career.

It's one thing to recover from injury, he's done it before, more than once. But finding that my original position was repositioned and the road to the starting lineup was not blocked by poor condition, but due to a change in philosophy, this is another matter.

This is a watershed where elites either adapt or get eliminated.

The glory of Chelsea's past echoes here. Branislav Ivanovic was a centre-back when he first arrived and later became a club legend in the right-back position. Michael Essin is a midfielder, but also performed well as a full-back under Jose Mourinho's dispatch. This flexibility in position is a sign of players willing to meet top football challenges.

James deserves credit for not getting angry. But the challenge is obvious: He must now prove that he is more than just a traditional right-back. He must show performances in the midfield that Maresca's tactical system cannot be ignored, otherwise he may become a rotation player and become a icing versatile player, rather than an irreplaceable starter.

Chelsea's recent moves in dealing with highly paid players are also a factor. Just last summer, the club ruled out a large number of high-paying stars from the first team to cut costs on a large scale.

You don't need to be a financial analyst to understand that the captain can only play as a substitute with a maximum salary, which is by no means a long-term solution.

At present, his fan base still supports him. Many still believe that the perfectly healthy Rees James is the best right-back in the world. His physical fitness, cross-border ability and leadership are all top-notch.

But in a young and dynamic team like Chelsea, if you can't continue to have great performance, your reputation will soon fade away and no one will be immune to re-evaluation.

The question now is whether James can reshape himself and become a brand new role, such as a midfielder with multiple characteristics, a tactical weapon, and even a counter-foot full-back who can control the game from a deeper position.

If he can do it, he will become indispensable again. If it cannot be done, the captain's armband may only have symbolic meaning to him. And for a player of his level and status, this is definitely not the best result.