Reece James is having a brilliant season both for Chelsea and England, and after another assist against Leicester at the weekend, it was only natural he would come up in the press conference with his manager Thomas Tuchel today.
Tuchel was as full of praise for the defender as you’d expect, but in his typical way he also refused to get carried away with overly complimenting the wing back and working out if he’s the best in the world, or other similar accolades.
“These things do not help us,” Tuchel said in quotes picked up by Football.London.
“He is improving, he takes responsibility. He is far from finished. He is super young.”
The Chelsea boss always takes this kind of measured approach, never flattering his players but not denying them praise either. It’s a solid way to keep them working hard without making them feel underappreciated, and it’s working well with players like Reece to help motivate them to keep improving.
As for James being the best in the world at his position – he’s not there yet, but he’s incredibly close for a player who was playing in the youth teams not long ago.
