Stats with and without Reece James since 2020-21: Over the last two seasons, Chelsea’s Reece James has grown into one of Europe’s best offensive full-backs, combining defensive steadiness with an impressive goal and assist record.
Joe Cole told BT viewers following Reece James’ Man of the Match performance against Juventus earlier this season, “I’ve been beating the drum for Reece James for years.”
“After being in America, I recall returning to the squad and exercising with them. His technical abilities astounded me. Especially for a young man of his stature, strength, and athleticism. His touch is velvety, and he makes the correct passes and decisions.
“When he gets in front of goal, he has the calmness and skill of your finest scorers.”
However, the 22-year-old has been plagued by injuries this season, missing a significant portion of Chelsea’s hunt for silverware in all competitions. James’ absence from the Blues’ January and February matches has been blamed by many of their supporters for the team’s winter slump.
Which made us wonder if Chelsea performs better when James is on the pitch or when he isn’t. You’d think it’d be a no-brainer, with the England international giving Thomas Tuchel’s team a new dimension.
However, the data do not always support this. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, we’ve analyzed Chelsea’s record in all competitions with and without James in the starting lineup.
Stats with Reece James starting
Played: 54
Won: 27
Drawn: 15
Lost: 12
Goals for: 89
Goals per game: 1.65
Goals against: 48
Goals against per game: 0.88
Points per game: 1.77
Win rate: 50.0%
Loss rate: 22.2%
Stats without Reece James starting
Played: 54
Won: 39
Drawn: 12
Lost: 3
Goals for: 105
Goals per game: 1.94
Goals against: 27
Goals against per game: 0.5
Points per game: 2.38
Win rate: 72.2%
Loss rate: 5.5%
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