Thomas Tuchel singled out Reece James for special praise after the England international helped to fire Chelsea FC to a 4-0 victory over Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.
After a goalless first half at Turf Moor, James netted the opening goal for the Blues in the 47th minute before goals from Kai Havertz (2) and Christian Pulisic wrapped up a dominant win for the visitors.
James also notched up the assist for Havertz’s second goal as he continued his fine form following his return to action after an injury lay-off.
The 22-year-old had been out of action for the best part of two months before making his return in the League Cup final clash with Liverpool FC and he will now be hoping to hold down a regular spot in the Blues team as he bids to help the club end the season on a high.
Tuchel was quizzed about James’ role in Saturday’s victory at Turf Moor and the German head coach was quick to praise the England international following his telling impact on the game.
“We missed him for such a long time that you get used to it,” Tuchel said when asked about James at his post-match news conference. “It was nine weeks and in this time we had something like 25 matches so we were constantly trying to find solutions and we did it as a team.
“We managed to win games and even titles in this period but once he’s back and plays three times, today the first time from the beginning you see what you missed. It’s such huge quality and very impressive how decisive he is in training and now even in the games.
“These positions are very important when you play with this structure and it’s the same on the left side so it puts things into perspective when you see what we missed and I’m very happy that he came back like this.”
After the game, James himself also revealed his delight at being back fit for the Blues as they now turn their attentions towards their trip to face Norwich City in the Premier League on Thursday night.
“It has been a while since I have played in the Premier League and I am happy to be back fit again and to help the team out,” James said after the game.
“I picked up a bit of a knock [against Burnley] but it is alright now and we move on to the next game.”