JAMES BOND
Reece loving right-back union
REECE JAMES grew up with an ambition to be the next Didier Drogba rather than right-back for England.
But the 22-year-old Chelsea defender reckons it is the attacking instincts he developed playing as a striker for the Blues junior teams that have helped him become the player he is today.
James is locked in a four-way fight for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Qatar – and admits that, like Kyle Walker (right), Trent AlexanderArnold and Kieran Trippier (below), he believes he is good enough to be a starter.
Southgate (below, right) has a decision to make. The threat and creativity of James or Alexander-Arnold? Or the experience and defensive safety of Walker or Trippier?
James insists the quartet are the best of enemies.
But he admitted: “At the end of the day, everyone wants to play and I think everyone believes they should play.
“So it’s difficult at times, but we need to stay together and stick by what the manager decides to play – and just be ready when your chance falls. I’ve got a good relationship with Kyle, so that when he sees me do something that I could get better at, he always tries to help me.
“He wants the best for me. I think that goes a long way and it will continue to help my career go in the right direction.
“Although I would say I’m a full-back, I can play other positions if needed.
“I like getting forward, attacking, creating chances and scoring goals.
“But at the same time, my job is to defend, keep clean sheets and help the team. I like the balance between both.
“When I play in a back three and I’m a wing-back, I’m a lot higher. I have more freedom to roam and do what I want.
“But when I play in a back four, it’s more set as a defender and it’s a bit harder to get forward.
“When I was young I was a striker, scoring lots of goals, then I moved to midfield, then defence. I like to attack.”
It was Drogba who was James’ idol when he was progressing through the ranks at Chelsea.
He has been forced to adapt. A loan spell at Wigan was so valuable that when the Latics found themselves in financial trouble two years ago, he donated
£3,000 to their bid to raise £500,000 to stay in business.
James recalled:
“The club helped me a lot, giving me the platform to play, so I tried to help them back.
“It was good to see them win promotion this season back to the Championship.
“I grew as a player at Wigan, living away from home and having to find my feet by doing things for myself.
“Half the season I played right-back and the second half of the season I basically played midfield.
“I had been a striker until I was maybe 12 or 13 at
Chelsea and I looked up to Drogba. I don’t actually know why, but when I was about 12, I was moved back into midfield.
“Then, when I was 15, I was moved to right-back.
“And the first two years I hated it.
“But then one day it kind of just clicked and I never really looked back from there.
“Playing as a striker definitely helped me. If you go back five or 10 years, the full-back position definitely wasn’t like it is now.
“It has evolved a lot. You are a lot freer to do what you want, not really a set defender, but with the licence to get forward.”