Chelsea fitness update ahead of UEFA Champions League clash against LOSC Lille. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
In conversation with talkSPORT (h/t Football.London), ex-Aston Villa man Gabby Agbonlahor chooses Chelsea star, Reece James, over Trent Alexander-Arnold to represent the England international team in the next FIFA World Cup.
The Three Lions are literally spoilt for choices when it comes to the right-back position. Gareth Southgate can choose from a rich spread of options that include the likes of Kyle Walker, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kieran Trippier, Tariq Lamptey, Kyle Walker-Peters, and more.
Whilst the Manchester City wing-back has been the preferred option by Southgate on a recurring basis, any debate about this position would be incomplete without the names of James and Alexander-Arnold being thrown in the fray. At such a young age, both English right-backs have already achieved a lot with their clubs and have gone on to become integral parts of the system at Chelsea and Liverpool respectively
Speaking to talkSPORT (h/t Football.London) Agbonlahor highlighted that he would choose the Blues star over the scouser in the England squad.
“I’ll choose Reece James only because he’s better defensively and still, even if you say Trent is a 10 out of 10 on the ball, then you can say James is at least a 9 out of 10. So, that’s enough that you need in that position that Reece James offers. “Look at Reece James today, scored and assisted. He’s giving out goals and assists as well, just like Alexander-Arnold but Reece James is a lot better defensively. He looks quicker as well, so for me, I have to choose Reece James.”
The fact that the 23-year-old wing-back represents our bitter rivals makes these statements by the former Villa star feel like music to our ears. Let us take a deeper dive into this to see where both of the young stars stand in comparison to each other.
Despite being out with injury for a substantial part of the campaign, the London-born player is having one of his best seasons with the Stamford Bridge outfit so far. Reece has scored six goals and provided seven assists for the Blues having played 1,762 minutes this campaign. This averages a direct goal contribution for every 135 minutes out on the pitch
Trent has scored two goals and provided 17 assists having played 2,865 minutes for the Merseysiders this season. This boils down to a direct goal contribution every 150 minutes. While the Liverpool scouser may have a significant amount of assists over James, the 22-year-old has found the net on more occasions.
If we are to view the defensive side of their game with respect to the Premier League the Blues youngster has an
85% successful tackle rate whereas Alexander-Arnold can only boost a 67% success rate in the same area. James has also won more duels as compared to his counterpart which is testimony to his physical prowess.
Whilst both of them are great on the attack, the Chelsea wing-back offers a little more in terms of defence. His ability on the ball is also another key factor that makes him such a threat in the opposition half. James has grown in leaps and bounds and made quite the impact with his first start with the Blues against Burnley after being on the sidelines for a while due to injury.
His goal in the first half opened the floodgates as the Blues thrashed the Clarets with a scoreline of 4-0. Reece James has a great mixture of attacking prowess as well as defensive stability. This can be viewed as the perfect example of what the modern-day full-back should bring to the pitch.
That being said, both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James have a long way to go and would be looking to produce some even more memorable nights with their respective clubs. Agbonlahor believes that James is more defensively astute in comparison to Alexander-Arnold and many in our fanbase would probably harbour the same sentiments.
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