Maresca on Reece James: Return not yet on the cards, Chelsea go into West Ham game with a strengthened midfield

Chelsea are going into this weekend’s game against West Ham with a strengthened midfield. Head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are available again after illness. On the other hand, Malo Gusto and Reece James remain out with injuries.

• Fernandez and Dewsbury-Hall are ready to play
• Gusto and James remain out with injuries
• Jadon Sancho is getting more and more space and has impressed the coach with his performance

Maresca reports the return of key players to the midfield

Chelsea welcome the return of two important midfielders ahead of their match against West Ham. Enzo Fernandez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have recovered from illness and are training with the team again.

“Enzo and Kiernan are ready for this weekend’s game,” confirmed Maresca. The news comes at a time when Chelsea need to keep up their winning streak after a narrow 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

Injury problems: Malo Gusto and Reece James out

On the other hand, Chelsea still can’t count on Gusto and James who are recovering from injuries. James was unlucky during the summer training when he recovered his injury in the game against Real Madrid.

“Unfortunately, Reece is not yet fully fit and it is important that he returns to the pitch when he is 100% ready,” said the Chelsea coach.

One positive news is the rising form of Sancho, who arrived from Manchester United and has already impressed with his performances. In the match against Bournemouth he shone with an assist for the winning goal. Maresca thus praised his approach. “Jadon works hard on and off the pitch. We are very happy with him,” he added.

A wide range of attacking options

Ahead of the Premier League match, Maresca explained in detail how he sees the players in a 4-2-3-1 system. “On the left wing we are counting on Sancho and Mudryk, while on the right wing we are counting on Maduek and Neto. The attacking midfielders are Felix and Palmer.

The number 9 position will be occupied by Jackson, Nkunku and Guiu. We have two players for each position, which gives us the flexibility we need,” the Chelsea strategist added.

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