In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT at the Chelsea FC Festival of Football hosted by EA on Friday, young talented defender Reece James shared his thoughts on new manager Maresca and his own feelings and experiences under the team's new tactical system.
Speaking about Maresca, Reece James was full of praise: "Since Coach Maresca joined us, he has demonstrated great professionalism and a clear coaching philosophy. His arrival has reinvigorated the team and we can all feel his desire to win and his extreme attention to detail. Now it's time to show what we're made of, and we'll give it our all to do our best in the tournament, which is what Coach Maresca expects."
Commenting on recent preseason performances, Reece James said, "The preseason process has been invaluable to us, and each game has been an opportunity for us to gel our squad and gain experience. Although the results of our first two games were not as good as we would have liked, we found our form against America and came away with a 3-0 victory. This showed us our progress and potential. Of course, the results of the preseason games are not the most important thing, but more importantly, we gradually adapted to the new season's tactical system through the games and took a big step towards the style we wanted to show at the beginning of the season."
Speaking about his changing role in the new system, Reece James said he is enjoying the challenge: "In Maresca's tactical system, he requires the wing-backs to move inside at the right time, which is a completely new experiment for me. No matter which position I play in, I will always give my best to help the team. Even if I am required to play in goal (this is a joke, of course), I will accept the challenge without hesitation. Now, I sometimes play in the midfield, more involved in the organization of the team's attack rather than going forward, which is a completely new role, but I find it very interesting and challenging. I believe this change of role will enable me to play a bigger role in the game as well as bring more variety to the team."
Finally, Reece James expressed his expectations for the new season: "I feel like I'm in great shape at the moment, it's the best I've felt in a while. I hope to maintain this form and continue to improve. I'm sure that under Maresca's leadership, Chelsea will be able to achieve even better results in the new season. I can't wait to see us show our strength and style in official matches."
