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Thomas Tuchel risks his great relationship with Chelsea fans after dangerous decisions

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 10:46 AM ET

The German coach arrived at the club, charmed them with his charisma and commitment, built a fearsome team, won them the Champions League, and then crucially was sacked before things could turn sour. To this day, many supporters wish he had never been fired and would take him back in a heartbeat.

For English Chelsea fans, getting Tuchel as national team coach was a delight – it’s like getting a second chance when you thought you never would. But the former PSG manager is risking damaging his superb relationship with Blues fans in every international break now.

Tuchel’s love of Reecey puts Chelsea’s season at risk

He loves Reece James, “Reecey” as he calls him, from their shared time at Stamford Bridge. But his use of the right back for England is testing the Chelsea man’s famously fragile body. James started against both Andorra and Serbia for the Three Lions this week, two starts in just 4 days.

That’s in stark contrast to his careful treatment at Chelsea, where despite having been fit since the start of the year, he’s still being treated with kid gloves. Enzo Maresca has only picked James from the start in one of their three games of the season so far.

Maresca and Tuchel need James treaty for both their sakes

We speculated before this international break, when James was left out by Maresca for the game against Fulham, that the Italian coach had been tipped off that his captain was going to feature for England a lot in the break, so he at least got that chance to reduce the strain.

But it’s in Tuchel’s interest just as much as Maresca’s that the full back makes it to next summer without any more injury problems. We hope that can come to a more sustainable agreement.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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