Chelsea’s young fullback, Reece James named the toughest opponent he has faced in his entire in his career until now while giving an exclusive interview with The Athletic.
So far, Reece James has been one of the breakout stars in this new campaign of the Premier League. The right-back has reached an outstanding level in this current season with his all-round attacking and defending combination making which has made him the most accomplished full-backs in the EPL.
His journey till now has been incredible as his impressive display with the Blues has also earned a senior cap in the first team of the English national team ahead of Trent-Alexander Arnold of Liverpool.
In a recent interview, he opened up about the toughest opponent he has faced and struggled to defend and he is none other than Liverpool’s Sadi Mane.
“My toughest opponent has been Sadio Mane. He is one of the best wingers in the league, if not the world, ” said Reece James in an interview.
He is strong, quick, good on the ball, and one of the toughest to play against, and then you also have (Mane’s Liverpool team-mate) Andy Robertson on the outside. It used to be about defending but now it is about not only being very good at defending but offering a big attacking threat.”
Moreover, James has faced Mane too in the initial fixtures of Chelsea where they went face to face with Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool defeated Lamaprd’s side with Sadio Mane’s brace and Jorginho missed a golden opportunity to make decrease the lead but failed. The Chelsea defense was in chaos due to the intense press by the Red’s attack led by Mane and Salah.
He also mentioned Mane’s compatriot, Andy Robertson who is as much a threat. But James has since improved vastly after their struggle in initial fixtures and kept five clean sheets by improving collectively.
