Reece James Reacts to Maresca Exit After Chelsea Earn Man City Draw

Chelsea captain Reece James praised his side’s unity and resilience after they earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Manchester City, bringing a difficult week at the club to a steady close.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, James opened up on how the squad has coped following the departure of Enzo Maresca, while adapting quickly under interim management at the Etihad Stadium.

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Chelsea regroup after difficult opening

James admitted Chelsea struggled early on, particularly after conceding in the first half, but felt the team grew into the game as it wore on.

“We had to accept what happened at the beginning of the week and put it behind us,” James said. “We came here with a game plan.

“In the first half, we made a small mistake that led to a goal. But in the second half, we got into the game, knew the opportunity would come, and Enzo took advantage of it when it arrived.”

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Praise for McFarlane and interim staff

The Chelsea skipper was keen to highlight the work of Calum McFarlane and the interim coaching staff, who were thrust into the spotlight under challenging circumstances.

“We have to give credit to the staff for taking on the responsibility,” James explained. “They’ve never been in this role before. Coming to Manchester City as your first match in charge of the first team is tough.

“We had to adapt quickly. We came out for the second half with a slightly different plan, and we improved as the match went on.”

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Captain calls for unity amid uncertainty

With speculation swirling around the club’s next permanent head coach, James stressed the importance of leadership and togetherness within the dressing room.

“Of course, it’s tough, but we have to fight for each other,” he said. “We dug in and got a point.

“We have to stick together as a unit. We’re united. We were missing a lot of players today, but those who came on really stepped up. We fought as a team, and I’m proud of the guys.”

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‘Behind-the-scenes is beyond our control’

When asked about who might take over permanently at Stamford Bridge, James made it clear the players are keeping their focus strictly on football.

“We don’t know anything at this point,” he added. “This whole week has been dedicated to this game. What happens behind the scenes is beyond our control.

“We focused on the match. We took a point in a very difficult situation. Now we need to recover. We’ll see what happens in the coming days.”