Why Reece James Played at Centre-Back for Chelsea During FA Cup Final Defeat to Leicester City Author: May 15, 2021 Thomas Tuchel has revealed why Reece James played at centre-back over Cesar Azpilicueta for Chelsea during their FA Cup final defeat to Leicester City. When the teams were announced, with both James and Cesar Azpilicueta in the starting eleven, it appeared James would be playing wing-back, with Azpilicueta at right centre-back. But as soon as the final got underway it proved not to be the case, their roles had switched. Despite this, James proved himself in the right centre-back role. Pretty much flawless all game at the back, dealing with Jamie Vardy, however did make a big passing error in the build up to Leicester's opener, which proved to be the difference and match-winning goal - an outstanding strike from Youri Tielemans.