Enzo Maresca faces £30m question as Chelsea given welcome Reece James boost

• Chelsea
• Chelsea News
• Chelsea

The latest Chelsea international round-up as the final break of the year nears its conclusion with the Blues in Premier League action this weekend away at Burnley

Chelsea duo Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah were both not used from the bench as England capped off a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory away in Albania.

The Three Lions made it eight wins from as many matches on Sunday evening with a comfortable victory - capping off their qualifying campaign with 22 goals scored and zero conceded. Harry Kane scored twice for Thomas Tuchel's side in the second-half as they found a way past Albania.

After completing 90 minutes in the win against Serbia a few days before, Chelsea captain James was not used at all in Albania, while his club teammate Chalobah sat alongside him on the bench. Chalobah was a late call-up after Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon withdrew from the squad last week but was not used at all by Tuchel.

Unfortunately for the 26-year-old defender, he seems to be pretty far down in Tuchel's plans at the moment. Plenty can change, however, between now and the end of the season with Chalobah a staple in Enzo Maresca's setup at Stamford Bridge thus far this term.

Elsewhere, Malo Gusto shone for France as they came from behind to beat Azerbaijan. Gusto returned to Baku and to the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium - the venue of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Qarabag just under two weeks ago - for his country and was on hand to provide two assists for Les Bleus in a 3-1 victory.

An overlapping run from Gusto, who was signed by Chelsea in January 2023 for around £30million, led to the Frenchman floating the ball into a dangerous area. Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta headed in from close range to level the match for France, who trailed after an early goal from the hosts.

France took the lead just over 10 minutes later and it was again Gusto who made the goal. A long ball towards the back post picked out the Chelsea full-back, who met it on the volley to find Maghnes Akliouche for a tap-in. A wonderful run and an equally impressive pass from Gusto, who has been in fine form for club and country in recent weeks.

The overlapping version of the France international is not something we have seen too much of under Maresca. The Italian likes his full-backs to occupy more central positions usually, meaning Gusto has tucked in more under the Chelsea head coach. During his debut season at the club, Gusto recorded nine assists in all competitions when playing under Mauricio Pochettino, who liked his full-backs to be more traditional in terms of their position on the pitch.

Either way, Maresca seems to be getting the best out of Gusto this season. The 22-year-old has always divided Chelsea supporters since arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2023, but this term his improvement has been undeniable.