James says that Chelsea made the “step in the right direction” while Maresca praised the captain

Chelsea’s captain Reece James says his side took a “step in the right direction” after defeating Copenhagen in the European Conference League.

The Blues crossed 2-0 away from home, thanks to the goals of their employer and Enzo Fernández in the second half.

But there was a slight disappointment full -time, with the hosts returning to the game.

It means they will go to the Stamford bridge in the hope of removing a miracle, but James sees the result as a general positive.

Speaking after the game, he said, “It’s a great step in the right direction. Getting here is a difficult place to go and the atmosphere was incredible.

“They settled well and it is always frustrating to grant -so late in the game. Our goal was to keep a clean sheet and we couldn’t get it, but we got the victory.

“It is always good to mark and help the team and, luckily, we got the victory. We know it is another huge game (next week), we have to win and we want to move forward and win this competition.”

“We want to move forward and win this competition” 🏆

Reece James talks to @NatalieQutik After the important victory of Chelsea 2-1 in Denmark 🇩🇰

📺 @TNTSPORTS And @discoveryplusuk pic.twitter.com/zoi6l8nth6

– Football to TNT Sports (@footballont) March 6, 2025

The titular coach Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, was delighted with the result and, in particular, James’ performance, leaving his position in the future.

He added: “I see Reece as a midfielder. From day one. I sent him a clip when he was on vacation on what a midfielder can be. He has played on his back, the central defender, so the main purpose for us is to keep him in shape.

“We know the importance it has for us. He is our captain, a fantastic player. We need it to adapt, so it is our duty, our goal, because it will surely help us. You can play in many positions because good players can play in many positions.

“It was a bit of a shameless goal. We can avoid it. It’s football, it can happen. Now it’s over 90 minutes and now we have 90 minutes more against them.

“The main game for us is home Sunday game and we need our fans for 100 minutes behind the team and promoting the team.

“If we can win against Leicester on Sunday, we can take another step to end the Champions League, (either) Top four or Top five, I don’t know.”