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‘It’s the Truth’—Liam Rosenior Rules on Reece James ‘Conspiracy’
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior firmly dismissed talk of any “conspiracy” surrounding Reece James’s ongoing absence for the Blues, although he did warn that his captain is struggling from illness.
The skipper boasts a rotten historic injury record and has been forced to sit out Chelsea’s last two matches. Speaking to assembled media on the day before his side’s visit from Leeds United on Tuesday night, Rosenior declared: “Reece is fit. He is feeling unwell today. It’s no conspiracy, it’s the truth. Hopefully, he’ll be well enough for tomorrow.”
Leeds have proven to be tough foes since Daniel Farke’s change of formation, embarking upon a marked uptick in form which began with a 3–1 win over Chelsea in December which James sat out. As the race for Champions League qualification ratchets up, the clamour for the captain’s inclusion is understandable. Yet, Rosenior is well within his rights to tread carefully.
Chelsea Have a Responsibility to Manage Reece James
In comparison to his past travails, missing only two matches is a sign of incredible improvement for the once-injury prone fullback. Across the entire calendar year of 2025, James was forced to sit out just one game for Chelsea, and that was because of illness in March. In 2024, for comparison, James missed 51 matches exclusively through hamstring injuries and the surgery required to correct this nagging issue.
James is owed credit for this improvement but Chelsea have gone to great lengths to keep one of their most talented players on the pitch—but not for too long. Specifically tailored training sessions which are reviewed at the finest detail have allowed the Blues’ advanced medical department to identify when James is at risk of being overworked. Not everyone was so impressed.
Enzo Maresca was accused of ignoring the advice of Chelsea’s in-house analysis during the fallout of his sacking in December, judging it to be overt interference in the tactical schemes which were under his remit. James started five matches in the space of 19 days across the final few weeks of the Italian’s tenure—his previous five starts had taken place over an entire month.
Rosenior has also given into the temptation of calling upon his versatile skipper a little too frequently. James started three straight matches for Chelsea at the end of January (in three different positions) but has only been fit enough to feature for 10 minutes since.
“It’s a pain management issue and to be honest, Reece was out running [at Cobham] yesterday. But it just wasn’t right,” Rosenior admitted after Saturday’s comfortable victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers without his captain.
“Again, we’re in the midst of a really, really difficult period of games, because of the number of games that we’ve got. Hopefully, he comes back fully fit and fully rested for Tuesday.”
The midweek visit from Leeds will be followed by a trip to Rosenior’s former employers Hull City in the FA Cup fourth round before a brief whisper of respite for the Blues and James. There are no midweek matches scheduled ahead of Premier League clashes against Burnley and Arsenal before the action once again ramps up in March. Should Chelsea advance in the FA Cup, they would have domestic duties to balance with both legs of the Champions League last 16.
There are also top-flight clashes with Aston Villa (third in the league), Newcastle United (12th) and Everton (eighth) to navigate before the mercy of March’s international break.
As tempting as it may be to call upon arguably his most influential player at every opportunity, Rosenior will reap the rewards of James’s long-term availability if he can pace him through the unrelenting schedule.
Chelsea Fixtures
Date | Competition | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
Feb. 10 | Premier League | Leeds (H) |
Feb. 13 | FA Cup fourth round | Hull City (A) |
Feb. 21 | Premier League | Burnley (H) |
March 1 | Premier League | Arsenal (A) |
March 4 | Premier League | Aston Villa (A) |
March 7 | FA Cup fifth round | TBD |
March 10/11 | Champions League last 16 first leg | TBD |
March 14 | Premier League | Newcastle (H) |
March 17/18 | Champions League last 16 second leg | TBD |
March 21 | Premier League | Everton (A) |
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Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.