Wayne Rooney has claimed that Reece James ‘struggled all game’ against Arsenal and believes that man-marking Declan Rice proved to be “a job too big” for the Chelsea captain in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at the Emirates.
A first-half header from Mikel Merino separated the two sides in a tense London derby, with Chelsea failing to make much of an impact despite their recent good form. The Blues had come into the game on a four-match winning streak, but the result meant Enzo Maresca’s men missed a golden opportunity to widen the gap between themselves and fifth-placed Manchester City.
For Arsenal, the victory ended a three-game winless streak in the Premier League and brought Mikel Arteta’s side within 12 points of leaders Liverpool.
Maresca had to reshuffle his midfield after Cole Palmer was ruled out through injury, deploying Enzo Fernandez in a more advanced role while Reece James partnered Moises Caicedo in central midfield. The Chelsea skipper was specifically tasked with tracking England teammate Declan Rice—a challenge that Rooney believes he struggled with.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2, the Manchester United legend dissected James’ performance and highlighted the difficulties he faced.
“I just felt that Reece James had a job to do today and he was man-marking Declan Rice, which, coming back from injury, is very difficult to do.
“I felt he struggled all game. He’s trying to play the role the manager has given him but I think he struggled with it.”
Rooney then broke down a specific passage of play where James’ focus on Rice left Chelsea vulnerable in midfield:
“If we have a look at it here and you look at Reece James and Declan Rice, so Reece is staying close to him.”
“He should be where I’ve moved him back to here [on the edge of the centre circle].
“But if you look at it here now, as it plays on, Reece James is always thinking of Declan Rice, no other thought in his head.
“He’s not even looking at the ball, he vacates the middle of the pitch and now Declan Rice is very clever with his movement, you can see that he’s telling Thomas Partey to come into the space where Reece James should be.
“Thomas Partey comes into the space, receives the ball with no one there but this was a theme all game. Nothing comes of this one here but, again, Reece James is just following Declan Rice around everywhere.”
The analysis from Rooney raises questions about Maresca’s tactical approach, as James, who is more accustomed to playing at right-back or right wing-back, was placed in an unnatural midfield role against one of the league’s most dominant midfielders.
Chelsea fans will be hoping their captain can return to his best form in the coming weeks as the Blues continue their fight for a Champions League spot.