Maresca’s management of James from here will be pivotal. The Italian said on Friday that the defender’s body will not take the strain of playing more than once a week for some time and whether he even travels to Athens for Thursday’s Conference League meeting with Panathanikos remains to be seen.

Enzo Maresca's men fell to a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool, but put up a spirited performance against Arne Slot's table-topping Reds. James himself lasted just over 50 minutes before he was replaced, but he managed to make an impression on Chelsea fans. They've have plenty to say about their captain on social media.

Chelsea have named their team to face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday with Reece James making his first appearance of the campaign at Anfield.The Chelsea captain returns to the side at