Reece James has missed more than half of Chelsea's Premier League matches this season, most of those being down to injury. He has still already played more minutes than was managed in the 2023/24 campaign.

He only made 10 league appearances with five starts. That has been matched and bettered with 12 games to go this time round.

James has been fit for all of 2025, which is a personal boost in his journey to be available more and more. Although positive results for the team have not followed him, James is at least getting through fixtures again. There is a tendency to add 'for now' here, with the caveat that James' body has broken down at inopportune moments and out of nowhere before.

That is despite the certain progress he has made, no matter how small. James is on track to play more than he did in 2022/23, needing just six more appearances and seven more starts to equal that tiny record. He will need to double his minutes as well, but if he remains physically strong then it is very much doable. That remains a big if, but this is currently James' longest consecutive run of being selected for Premier League matchday squads (eight) since the overlap between 2021/22 and 2022/23.

What it has allowed is for extra focus on other areas of his game. . In recent weeks his performances have been entirely in the centre of the park, as opposed to before when he might have moved there in a tactical tweak or after substitutions.

James is still getting back to his feet and has rust to remove before he is truly at his best. That comes with time, though, and on Saturday he completed a first full match since his return to the team in December.

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Maresca has been cautious with his use of James, often limiting his game time to 60-75 minutes.

James has only played two other full 90s this term and is being heavily guarded. Chelsea have not used him in the Conference League and only offered him a low-key half of FA Cup third round action against League Two strugglers Morecambe last month.

It would be a surprise to see him play any European football at all given the ease in which Chelsea have moved through the competition and his own issues with managing two games in a week. In this sense, James is still on a long road back to the top. Chelsea with James are stronger than without him in more ways than one, regardless.

and James is more than capable of doing the job across the field. The biggest matter is for him to playing, either way.

"I have one goal - to stay on the pitch," he said candidly at the start of pre-season. "I am one to push the boundaries and sometimes that has caused problems for myself and the team, but that is something I'm trying to get better at. I don't want to make mistakes and put my team at risk. I would like to think I'm in a good place now."

That was followed up by an injury just a few weeks later and his return lasted less than a month before disaster struck again. Since then James has cautiously come back into the fold without much fanfare.

At Aston Villa, it was notable just how audible he was, shouting at his teammates to organise the backline and those around him.

From a late corner he also held back Moises Caicedo following an argument in the Chelsea box. Having just been booked by referee Michael Oliver, Caicedo was ready to continue his protest but James held him back.

It was a small sign of a player growing into his role on and off the field.

This has been harder to do after sustaining such regular fitness setbacks. James now appears to be in a better place physically and will aim to be readily available for the foreseeable future. Even if the team around him disappoints, James' goal of being on the pitch more is telling and right now he is getting there.

There is always an asterisk and worry with James that this hope is misplaced and his next spell on the sidelines is just around the corner. It will take a much bigger portfolio of work before those fears are eradicated both on his side and from the supporters.

James is back for Chelsea in the present and has slotted in seamlessly, another good sign. He is naturally at ease when spraying passes across a pitch, as he did wonderfully at times to create opportunities and exploit gaps at Villa.

This was not James at his very best. There were two occasions he was caught in possession and lost the ball in dangerous areas. Villa didn't capitalise and James' impact on the match waned as the legs grew tired not just on his own body but also those around him. Being able to get through rather than having to call time early is one of the few positives that came from the trip.

If he can play any role on Tuesday against Southampton it will be yet another big indicator of his strength and confidence returning. If not, allowing him to breath again before taking on Leicester City next weekend may well just be the sensible option.