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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that injury to Reece James was one of the reasons why the Blues fell behind in the race for the title.
Tuchel's side were neck-to-neck with Manchester City and Liverpool until mid-December. However, a poor run of form that saw them pick up just one win in six league games effectively ended their hopes of competing with the two teams above them.
It was a period where several key personnel, including influential wing-back duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell, were missing through injury.
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While Chilwell is not expected to feature again this season, James made his first start for Chelsea in over two months in their last game against Burnley this past Saturday.
After the game, Tuchel revealed that not having James for two months impacted their form on the pitch:
"We missed him for such a long time that we almost got used to it," Tuchel said in his post-match press conference in Lancashire. "I think it was like nine weeks and we played something like 25 matches in that time.
"We were constantly trying to find solutions and we did find solutions as a team, and we managed to win games and even trophies in this period.
"But once he is back and plays three times, and first time from the beginning, you see what we missed. Huge quality and it's very impressive how decisive he is."
Chelsea will hope to push Liverpool and Manchester City
James scored once and assisted once against Burnley to make it a return to remember as Chelsea recovered from a sluggish first-half display to win 4-0.
His return is a massive boost for the Blues, who still have an outside chance of winning the title.
City and Liverpool are yet to face each other, so if Chelsea can keep winning from now until the end of the season, they could put pressure on the two teams.
Tuchel’s side are also active in the Champions League and the FA Cup, so they will look to win some silverware with another key player now back in action.
