Lauren James is a world-class talent who doesn't deserve vile abuse - but Chelsea and England star does need to learn how to calm her petulant side down

Defeat at the Emirates was a blow to Chelsea. A win would’ve seen them open up a six-point gap at the top of the WSL table with just one game to go before the winter break. But they were lucky that it wasn’t worse and that they did not lose the talismanic James for several games because of this needless incident, especially with their first league match back after Christmas being a tricky clash with Manchester United.

The 22-year-old has been in absolutely electric form this season, scoring six goals in eight games to put herself right up there in the race for the Golden Boot. She’s arguably never been playing better than she is right now, and those performances have helped the Blues make a strong start to their title defence.

Indeed, just before Chelsea's short journey to the Emirates, team-mate Jess Carter told LiveScore of James: "From ball control to dribbling and finishing, I don't really know many other players that can do what she can. She has the attributes to be one of the best in the world."

However, we didn’t see much of James’ free-flowing talent at the weekend. We didn’t see it in England’s clash with Nigeria, either. That’s what the two games, which featured these two petulant incidents, have in common.

In the World Cup, the young forward was well-marshalled by Nigeria and completely marked out of the game before her frustration boiled over and led to the stamp on Alozie. Against Arsenal, she was also totally unable to make an impact on the game as the Gunners raced into a commanding lead. This isn’t to excuse James’ actions, but to understand why they are happening, with her frustration at being unable to get involved and help her team clearly leading to these stupid acts.

It’s nothing new to see an extraordinarily-talented footballer allow their disappointment at what is happening on the pitch get the better of them, especially when they are young. The most infamous occasions in English football are of David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, both wonderful players and both still only in the early years of their careers when they were dismissed in their darkest World Cup hours. However, it’s massively, massively important for James to understand that she cannot continue to let these moments occur.

After all, when we were here last time, during the World Cup, James said that she would learn. In a message on social media to Alozie, who was on the receiving end of that incident in Australia, the Chelsea star said: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened. Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.”

England head coach Sarina Wiegman reiterated that, describing the forward’s red card as “a huge lesson [for her] to learn”. Carter, her team-mate with Chelsea and the Lionesses, said it would be “lessons learned” and that “she’ll do better next time”. But that is the concern, that James was dismissed for something similar only a few months ago and, despite all those comments, it has happened again.

James, though, is a human being, and human beings make mistakes. They also feel the emotional consequences of them and there’s no doubt she’ll have been disappointed in herself in light of Sunday’s game, just as she was at the World Cup.

Unfortunately, it seems that some people forget that when players commit these regrettable actions. The release of the Beckham documentary earlier this year, which went behind the scenes of the fall out of the Manchester United icon’s red card at the 1998 World Cup, was a timely reminder of just how brutal the aftermath of such incidents can be for footballers, particularly in the higher-profile men’s game.

Sadly, James was subject to racist abuse in the wake of Sunday’s loss. It’s something that, unfortunately, the forward has had to deal with previously and is a reflection of the toxicity that exists on social media in football, and overall within society still, in 2023.

There is absolutely no justification for that - or any - kind of racism. It’s a terrible shame that such a thing even has to be said. James is a human being who made a mistake. It’s imperative that people remember that and do not tear her down. If we’re talking about learning from mistakes, then that’s something that those within football could really take on board.

It’ll be interesting to see how Emma Hayes, James’ manager at Chelsea, who – unlike Wiegman – sees her almost every single day, deals with this. She has been almost a motherly figure for the young forward, looking after her brilliantly since she arrived in London in the summer of 2021.

“She’s played a massive role in just getting me back to being myself again,” James said earlier this year of Hayes. “I’ve had two years of just constant injuries. She managed me well and it’s allowed me to find my feet again. In the moment [if I’m on the bench], everyone is like, ‘Why is Lauren not playing?’ and I want to be playing on the pitch, but in the long run it’s obviously paid off.”

There’s no doubt that Hayes can have a positive impact on James when it comes to trying to eradicate these silly moments from her game, too. She’s great at protecting players, but also good at the tough love when it’s needed. Sunday’s game against Arsenal offered a glimpse at that from another perspective, with Hayes constantly on at the 22-year-old to make sure she was doing her job on the pitch correctly.

There are other figures at Chelsea who can help to guide her, too. As well as Carter, Millie Bright, captain for club and - with Leah Williamson sidelined – country, was one of those who spoke especially well about the situation in the summer when James saw red.

"It’s football,” she said. “Listen, I have had red cards. Everyone goes through it as a player, everyone goes through it on the world stage. But for me, it’s not a situation that needs too much light shining on it. It’s happened. It’s in the past. We are through. All that matters is we come together as a group, we have each other’s backs, and it is just another challenge in football that the player has to face. But we have got her back completely.

"I think it is really important that we look after each other. I have been through that. I know exactly how that feels. I think it is important that she has her space and lets her emotions settle. But it’s done now, we move on."

The right people around her can do wonders to help James genuinely learn, grow and ensure that these stupid moments do not happen again, and there are plenty that she sees day in, day out at club level who fit that billing.

But it is down to the player herself, too, to understand all of this. After all, Hayes quite literally will not be around to guide her forever, with her set to take over the United States women’s national team at the end of the season. Team-mates come and go, too.

James needs to take responsibility for her own actions, as she has in the past. But, just as is the case with playing football, it’s about actually learning from those mistakes that will make her as a player and a person. She has the potential to be the best player in the world – but she needs to nip this in the bud before it becomes something bigger.