Reece James: 'This season has been far below our standards'
A painful 2-1 defeat at Sunderland on the Premier League’s final day resulted in Chelsea finishing 10th in the top flight and missing out on European football next term.James acknowledges that it is not good enough for a club with the Blues’ talent and ambition, and knows there is much to work on heading into next season.'We need to digest this season,' said the 26-year-old. 'It's been far below our standards and we need to review and see where we can improve for next time.'Just saying it [not qualifying for Europe] doesn't sound right. We’re a club that has won a number of European trophies and this season we haven’t even qualified. So, we have lots to learn and improve.'The Blues fell behind at Sunderland in the opening period, Trai Hume guiding a near-post volley beyond Robert Sanchez in the 25th minute.An unfortunate own goal from Malo Gusto gave the Black Cats a two-goal advantage, but a venomous Cole Palmer strike gave us hope of launching a come-back.Unfortunately, a Wesley Fofana red card soon followed and – with a man disadvantage for more than 30 minutes – we were unable to find an equaliser that would've secured a place in next season's UEFA Europa League.‘I think it [defeat at Sunderland] probably reflects how our season has gone – we've underachieved,’ said James ‘We had a few chances in the first half and we didn't take them. I feel if we had taken our chances, the game would have been different.‘I never felt the game was done until the 100th minute when the whistle blew. We just lacked the final touches.’James - who will represent England at this summer's FIFA World Cup - and his Chelsea team-mates will return for pre-season with a new manager at the helm, after Xabi Alonso's appointment was confirmed last weekend.When asked what the ambitions for next season must be, James replied: 'Where Chelsea have always been - competing and winning titles and in Europe. They are the basics, the minimum, for this club.'
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