Former BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has questioned why manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to make Reece James Chelsea captain.

Speaking to Paddy Power, Lawrenson said that the Blues have a perfect candidate in Thiago Silva who would have been much better suited to the role:

“I don’t know why Thiago Silva is not captain [of Chelsea], because he plays nearly every game and doesn’t really get injured. The thing about Reece James is that he misses lots of games. I can see what Pochettino has done, but you need to be playing every single week and show people why you deserve to be captain.”

“Thiago Silva would’ve done it more easily with all that experience, and maybe let James get on with his game, and not think about being captain. Maybe that’s why he made a stupid decision against Newcastle to get a second yellow, he’s overthinking it a bit too much.”

Silva may not want the Chelsea captaincy

Considering that Silva has had four different managers (Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Pochettino) since moving from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, it would be a surprise if one of them hadn’t offered him the armband.

At 39 years of age, it may be the case that Silva wants to focus on his own game, rather than worry about the extra responsibility of captaining the team.

James must show he can handle the pressure

As Lawrenson points out, James’ sending off against Newcastle did lack maturity. Having spent the majority of the campaign injured, he may be feeling extra pressure to prove himself on the pitch.

The defender should try and take a step back, concentrate on his game and allow his leadership qualities to develop naturally over time. Fans will be hoping to see a better performance from him when he returns to the starting lineup against Manchester United on Wednesday evening.