Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has publicly demanded more from club captain Reece James, saying he lacks leadership qualities.
Maresca admitted that the Blues need a proper leader and has urged James to display more personality on and off the pitch.
“I spoke with him, and I expected from him more in terms of leadership, inside the changing room and for different kinds of things,” said the former Leicester City boss (via The Telegraph):
“He is doing well. He is progressing, but from Reece, I expected more also in terms of leadership.
“Most of the time when they are captain, they think that because they are captain, they have more. For me, because you are the captain, you have to give more. You have to give more than the rest.
“And sometimes: ‘OK, I am the captain, I can give less’. No. He is one of the captains, and I expected from him, and his teammates expected from him, to give always more in terms of leadership in general.
“When you don’t have a proper leader, you need to build that. I think we don’t have a proper leader.”
The decision to make James captain last season under Mauricio Pochettino was puzzling. Chelsea had stalwart Thiago Silva in their ranks, and James never came across as leadership material.
James is a shy and introverted figure. His niggling injury problems mean he spends too much time away from the players he is supposed to be leading.
However, the lack of leadership does not fall squarely on James. Chelsea should also be questioned, as their youth-centric transfer policy has left the club bereft of influential figures capable of taking the bull by the horns.
Maresca has already begun identifying a few players who can be made captain if James does not step up.
The Italian coach named Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella and Levi Colwill as potential leaders.
Maresca particularly praised Colwill, who has grown in stature this season. He is now more vocal on the pitch, but the 21-year-old still has plenty to learn.
