Chelsea Captain: 'We Are On Equal Footing With Arsenal'

Following the game versus Arsenal in the 13th round of the Premier League, Chelsea's captain Reece James stated he is proud of the entire team's display and proud that Chelsea can match Arsenal head-to-head right now.

Chelsea started the match with great energy against Arsenal taking the initiative in pressing and creating several notable attacking chances. When Moises Caicedo was sent off before halftime, many expected the home team to retreat and protect their position. However, Chelsea continued to play offensively on equal terms and even took the lead through a header by Trevoh Chalobah from a corner kick delivered by Reece James.

That moment demonstrated the fighting spirit of the entire team, which Reece James emphasized in his post-match comments. He shared:

“I feel proud. This team is still very young, but we competed evenly with the current Premier League leaders. We showed no fear and tried hard to win. Unfortunately, we couldn't achieve that, but there are many positives to take away from the match.”

Although only securing one point from the 1-1 draw, James admitted Chelsea has reasons to feel disappointed considering their performance: “We knew the game would be tough, but honestly, it was a match we felt we could have won. Leaving the pitch with just one point is really hard to accept given the team's effort.”

Despite playing most of the game with ten men, Chelsea did not falter. James highlighted this courageous spirit: “We played 60 minutes with 10 players, facing all of Arsenal’s squad. They are a very strong team, leading the league. We matched them fairly, so there is a lot to learn from this.”

Coach Maresca made sensible adjustments to help the team maintain balance, and James also praised the squad’s effort under difficult circumstances: “We started very quickly, had some early chances, but things got harder after going down to 10 men. We made some changes, Arsenal pressed heavily, but we still felt capable of threatening whenever we had the ball. We gave our all, now we have to accept one point and move forward.”

The draw against Arsenal came right after a 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and a run of three consecutive wins in the Premier League. Despite a strong performance, this result dropped Chelsea to third place in the Premier League standings after 13 rounds. In their next match, Chelsea will face Leeds United, who are currently on a four-game losing streak in the Premier League.