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Chelsea captain Reece James has admitted he was left ‘devastated’ by a decision from his manager Enzo Maresca in the Conference League final.
The Blues produced a stunning comeback to defeat Real Betis 4-1 on Wednesday night to secure their first major trophy under the Italian boss.
James was surprisingly left on the bench for the showdown in Poland with Maresca opting to pick Malo Gusto at right-back instead of James.
Gusto massively struggled in the first half and was replaced at the break by James as Chelsea – 1-0 down at half-time – went on to turn things around.
Speaking after Chelsea clinched the Conference League title, James admitted that he was hurt not to start the match.
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‘Of course it is devastating to know you are not starting in a final,’ the Englishman told TNT Sports.
‘I want to play every game but it was the manager’s decision. Once he made the decision, I had to move on and accept it and be ready when I was needed.’
Maresca: I am trying to protect James
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, quizzed why he did not start James, said that he was trying to ‘protect’ the Blues captain.
‘I promise you, I would always start Reece but I’m trying to protect him,’ Maresca told TNT Sports. ‘He’s played more games this season than in the last two.
‘He’s happy, he’s a top player. He’s like Cole Palmer – but we need to manage him.
‘When I brought him on, he said not to worry and that we’d win the game.’
James added: ‘I thought in the first half we were flat. The game didn’t go our way early on and it looked like it took a lot out of us. We needed a reaction in the second half and we got it.
‘It’s a great feeling [to win the final]. As the game went on we grew into it and thankfully we scored four goals in the second half.
‘Coming into this competition was something we had to win. Next season we go again in the Champions League.’
Chelsea star Levi Colwill, who was also named on the bench before being introduced just after the hour mark, also shared his thoughts on the match.
‘To be the first club to have won everything possible, you can see the fans celebrating now and it shows how much it means to them,’ Colwill said.
‘We knew they were going to be a good team, especially at the start with their fans pushing them on, but we knew it was going to die off.
‘We just had to wait and pick our moments and that is what we did in the second half.
‘Watching from the bench you can see where the spaces are and how you can help the team. When I came on for [Badiashile] I could see he was working so hard and then the gaps were open. He did that for me, laid the foundations for me.’
Chelsea have become the first football club in history to win the Conference League, Europa League and Champions League.
The Blues qualified for next season’s Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League this term.
‘[The past week] has been amazing,’ Colwill added. ‘We have achieved everything we wanted. It feels amazing to win my first European competition with Chelsea, hopefully many more. And getting Champions League for next season, I don’t think you can get any better than that.’
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