While Chelsea returned to winning ways on Tuesday in their clash with Bournemouth, their 2-0 victory over the Cherries yesterday was a bitter-sweet fixture due to the injury to their superstar academy graduate Reece James.
The English full-back made his return to the pitch during the festive period, having been sidelined since mid-October due to a knee injury — which also kept him out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And once again, the 23-year-old displayed his brilliance to the Stamford Bridge crowd and was one of the best players on the pitch as the Blues marched into a commanding first-half lead.
However, the Premier League talent was unable to complete the game. In the 49th minute, James hurt himself while making an innocuous pass and immediately signaled to the dugout that he needed to come off before dropping to the floor in frustration.
The London giants went on to win the game by a two-nil scoreline thanks to goals from the misfiring Kai Havertz and Mason Mount but that result was somewhat overshadowed by the blow to James.
Speaking after the game, a candid Graham Potter stressed that it was difficult to assess the situation and that time was needed in order to determine the extent of this injury relapse. However, the English boss revealed the one thing Chelsea fans did not want to hear: Reece hurt himself in the same area.
"No not really, too soon," the head coach said when asked for an update. "It's obviously the same area, so we are concerned. We will have to wait for the next 24-48 hours.
"There was a sort of chop and he felt something there. We will have to see the extent of it. At the moment we are just at a stage of hoping it isn't as bad and keeping our fingers crossed.
"The plan was not for him to play 90 tonight. He was going to play 60-65 minutes which was a buildup to what he did previously. He's disappointed, of course, at the moment. We just have to hope it's not as bad as it was, and he can get a speedier recovery."
"The same area so we are concerned. We will have to see the next 24-48 hours. We have to hope it's not as bad as it was."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 27, 2022
Graham Potter says Reece James has injured the same knee as to what saw him miss out on the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/vbpDDo5vG8
That victory over Bournemouth means Chelsea have slashed the gap between themselves and fourth-placed Tottenham to six points. However, with Armando Broja being ruled out for the rest of the season and N'Golo Kante yet to return to fitness, the Stamford Bridge supporters will be praying for the best when it comes to Reece James.
