Chelsea started Reece James in the midfield again to get Malo Gusto a starting opportunity to overlap on the right hand side, and Chelsea fans could not help but think, coming out of the game, that this farce needs to end.
James is a clearly superior player to Gusto, both defensively and, yes, offensively. He is more safe, more consistent, more intelligent, and better technically. So the only way Gusto and James can play together and the only way Gusto can play is for James to play in midfield.
But all those things that make James so good at right back are not true in midfield. Look, it is true that James is versatile enough to be a passable midfielder, and he was far from the biggest problem in the team – actually, Gusto playing in his natural position was even worse than James, which tells you all you need to know about the foibles of playing James out of position just to accommodate Gusto in the lineup.
Still, James did make a key mistake en route to Newcastle’s decisive goal, and he had made a mistake, too, at mid week in the Champions League in the loss to PSG.
James is not a midfielder. It is not his natural position, and he makes errors in that realm, while failing to get the ball forward with creativity. But on the right, he can drive and own an entire flank. It is a no brainer what to do with him.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have midfield options. Romeo Lavia is a bust, but Dario Essugo and Andrey Santos could be special. It is preferable to go with those guys than keep shoehorning James in there.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.