Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has praised Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for his clever decision to play right-back Reece James in midfield in Sunday’s draw against Arsenal, SportPremi reports.
The Blues played out an entertaining 1-1 draw against the league leaders in the English Premier League clash of the round last Sunday at the Stamford Bridge.
As he has done several times this season, England right-back Reece James started the crucial clash in the midfield position alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
The latter was sent off in the first half for a reckless challenge on Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino, but James’ brilliance ensured the Blues got a point from the clash.
The 25-year-old dictated play and earned the player of the match for his impressive display, creating two chances, making two recoveries and completing the most dribbles in the clash.
James also provided the assist for Trevoh Chalobah’s opener, delivering a perfectly-weighed corner kick which was flicked on into the net by the defender.
The Gunners pulled one back minutes later through Merino, who headed in from a brilliant Bukayo Saka’s cross.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw as Chelsea delivered an exceptional performance despite being a man down, thanks to James’ display.
Mikel hails Maresca’s tactical genius
John Obi Mikel who spent 11 hugely successful spells at Chelsea, hailed the tactical genius of the manager.
“I just think Enzo Maresca has found this system of having the captain Reece James to play in midfield.
And a few times he tried it last year and a lot of people questioned him and criticized him for having to play in midfield, best right-back in the world, why do you play him in midfield?”, the former Nigerian midfielder admitted.
“You can see now that the belief and the trust and confidence that the manager has in Reece James playing in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo in big games. It just keeps that balance in the team and we can see that’s working wonders.
It is brilliant to see both of them complement each other and gives Enzo Fernandez the ability to go forward and get in the box,” Mikel added.
Chelsea drop to third on the league standings with 24 points from their opening 13 matches, while Arsenal remain top of the standings, six points ahead of the Blues.
The FIFA Club World champions return to action on Wednesday when they face Leeds United, while the Gunners host Brentford on the same day.
