Kalidou Koulibaly

[Blue Armour 4,289]

Looking more like a dud to me.

Still prepared to give him more time to settle, but that was mainly to adjust to the pace of the PL.

Amateurish defending for the Zagreb goal, and every game he looks like he came out from a sauna, just 10 mins into the game. 

If Tuchel has sense, he would drop him for Chalobah or just stick to playing 2 CBs

[Blue Armour 4,289]

On 30/08/2022 at 22:09, Blues Forever said:

Poor performance so far, my fear is Koulibaly already starting to decline. I didn't like we paid €40m and gave him 4 + 1 years contract.

Only just found out that we actually gave him a 4 year contract. No idea why. I mean its not like we'll have to fend off other clubs in 2 years time for his signing.

No wonder he's just been phoning it in. 

[Vesper 28,832]

On 31/08/2022 at 07:16, Magic Lamps said:

i was very sceptical about his age

I wonder is he is actually older than his documents say

easy to fake shit in Senegal

[Vesper 28,832]

Kalidou Koulibaly: The weaknesses Chelsea need Graham Potter to fix urgently

https://theathletic.com/3589412/2022/09/18/kalidou-koulibaly-Chelsea-defence-problems/

When Kalidou Koulibaly was figuratively unveiled at Cobham in August, he tried to manage expectations.

“I will need time, because I can’t be the player everyone wants (me to be) from the first game,” he said. “I will take my time and in two or three months, I will be the one everyone is waiting for.”

ADVERTISEMENT

 

It wasn’t known then that head coach Thomas Tuchel did not have time to wait.

The Senegal international’s steep learning curve in a new team, tactical system and league after eight years in Italy with Napoli was a notable subplot of the underwhelming results that immediately preceded Chelsea’s new co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital deciding that a change in the dugout was required.

Arriving at Stamford Bridge with a reputation as one of the most revered centre-backs of his generation, Koulibaly was viewed by Tuchel as being capable of helping Chelsea re-establish their Champions League-winning defensive standards from day one.

Under the German, he started six of seven matches, only missing the other through suspension.

But Chelsea kept just one clean sheet in those games, and Koulibaly’s assessment of his own readiness proved more accurate than Tuchel’s hopes.

There have been enough flashes of preternatural defensive instincts and ability on the ball to encourage new head coach Graham Potter, but also occasions where the 31-year-old’s aggressive instincts and aerial fallibility have got his team into trouble.

---

Koulibaly has spoken about how he relishes individual duels with attackers. His desire to impose himself at every opportunity makes him an easy fit for a high-pressing system, as do his speed and his comfort with defending in space. Such a proactive style, however, means any miscalculation potentially carries a high price.

The last goal of the Tuchel era offered a prime example of that.

Dinamo Zagreb, playing out of a low block, punt a high ball up towards Bruno Petkovic. Having allowed the striker to drift away from him, Koulibaly rushes forward intending to make an interception or pressurise his opponent’s first touch…

…but he is too late to do either, and Petkovic simply cushions a header into the path of Mislav Orsic, who does brilliantly to beat a now isolated Wesley Fofana and finish coolly beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

On other occasions, Koulibaly’s failed attempts to win the ball high up the pitch have led to him committing unnecessary fouls as he scrambles to recover his position. Here he is on the opening weekend against Everton, tracking Anthony Gordon’s diagonal run.

Gordon doesn’t pose any immediate threat and Chelsea have the numbers behind the ball to cope with the counter, but Koulibaly still bundles him to the turf.

The following weekend at home to Tottenham, Koulibaly moves out towards Chelsea’s left touchline to track Harry Kane, who has drifted across to receive a pass from Emerson Royal.

He initially does well, forcing Kane to take his first touch away from goal to protect the ball…

…but then runs straight through him, conceding a free kick in a threatening position.

The most egregious examples came another week on at Elland Road, where Chelsea found themselves rattled early and often by Leeds United’s relentless running. Koulibaly in particular got himself into compromising defensive situations that ultimately led to his dismissal in the 84th minute.

An avoidable yellow card in the ninth minute left him walking a disciplinary tightrope.

He simply gets too close to Brenden Aaronson as the American receives a pass near the touchline.

Aaronson manages to use his forward momentum against him, spinning around him with a sharp first touch and tempting Koulibaly into grabbing him around the waist so he doesn’t drive into a dangerous area.

Koulibaly’s second booking was for a similar offence, albeit at a stage of the game where Tuchel had sacrificed all semblance of tactical balance by substituting his entire starting midfield in search of an equaliser.

As Leeds find themselves on a promising counter-attack, Joe Gelhardt lays the ball into the path of Sam Greenwood…

…and rather than simply running with his man, Koulibaly (perhaps out of frustration) wraps an arm around Gelhardt and pulls him down.

At that unveiling in August, a player who was voted onto Serie A’s Team of the Year four times during those eight years in Naples identified the main challenge of adapting to the Premier League, saying: “I have to think faster, go faster, and move my eyes faster.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

“In Serie A, everything is more with the brain, calmer. You have to think of every movement. Here, you have to think very fast, and this is the first thing I have to change.”

Potter will be hoping Koulibaly can get up to speed in that sense sooner rather than later.

---

It has not been all bad for Koulibaly so far at Chelsea.

Against Tottenham, he showcased many of the attributes that can make him immensely valuable to an elite team — beyond his sensational volley from a Marc Cucurella corner that opened the scoring.

His technical quality with the ball at his feet played a big role in Chelsea’s ability to beat the Spurs press, pin them back and play through their low block. Here, he shapes to play a pass with his left foot, assessing the options in front of him as Dejan Kulusevski moves to block his route forward to Mason Mount…

… but Koulibaly sees this and quickly runs around the ball, creating an angle to whip a pass with his right foot behind Kulusevski, into the space he just vacated. This way, he finds Mount in space.

On the occasions when Tottenham tried to press high, Koulibaly kept his head and trusted his technique. Here, he threads a low pass out of his penalty area through three opponents…

…directly onto the left foot of Kai Havertz, who can instantly re-direct it to Mount on the left flank and get Spurs running back towards their own goal.

In the opposition half, Koulibaly also found the right balance between safe, sideways passes and more incisive ones that took several opponents out of the play.

Here, he caps a one-touch passing sequence — Mount to Cucurella to Raheem Sterling and then back to him — with a sharp, first-time pass through a narrow gap back in to Mount’s feet.

There was even a moment in the second half when Koulibaly’s aggressive ball-winning instincts looked to have won the match for Chelsea. He pins Kulusevski against the right touchline from behind, with N’Golo Kante cutting off any escape from the other side.

Koulibaly manages to win the ball cleanly and send it spinning free to Kante, who plays a pass infield to Sterling.

This sequence leaves Reece James wide open on the overlap…

… and he scores to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead.

Once he re-tunes his instincts to the particular nature of Premier League football, Koulibaly will surely have plenty to offer Potter’s team in and out of possession.

---

Perhaps the most surprising issue in the final matches of Tuchel’s tenure was Chelsea’s sudden inability to defend set pieces successfully.

Last season, only Manchester City (one goal) conceded fewer Premier League goals from dead balls than Chelsea’s four but in their opening six matches of 2022-23, Tuchel’s men let in four set-piece goals. Only promoted Bournemouth (five) have allowed more, and Koulibaly has undeniably been part of the problem.

He has often too easily become a spectator as events play out, rather than using his formidable frame and athleticism to impact them for the benefit of his team.

For the shambolic corner-kick equaliser Chelsea conceded in stoppage time against Spurs, his starting position is fine…

…but by the time the ball loops into the six-yard box, he has retreated towards the goal line rather than moving forward to attack the delivery, contributing to a situation where any one of three Tottenham players could meet it with a free header.

Back in that opening win over Everton, Koulibaly fails to react to the trajectory of a high, arcing corner towards the back post, watching it sail over his head…

…and forcing Edouard Mendy to try to catch the ball while being swarmed by Yerry Mina and Dwight McNeil.

He does at least take up a good position on the line when the ball ends up at the feet of Abdoulaye Doucoure but this is a shot at goal Chelsea shouldn’t be letting happen in the first place.

West Ham’s opening goal at Stamford Bridge in the most recent Premier League game two weeks ago also reflects poorly on Koulibaly’s set-piece defending.

He is tasked with man-marking Tomas Soucek at the near post, but the Czech Republic international darts away from him…

… and by the time Mendy is challenged to make another aerial intervention under severe pressure, Koulibaly has drifted away from the goal line, watching the ball rather than anticipating what could happen, and so isn’t in a position to prevent Michail Antonio converting Declan Rice’s low cross.

It’s fair to note that all of the examples listed here are the result of multiple points of failure by several Chelsea players. In that sense, singling out Koulibaly might be a little harsh, but the reality is that as one of the tallest, most physically imposing players in the squad, Potter needs him to be better than we’ve seen so far.

This is where Koulibaly’s broader aerial duel numbers are a cause for concern: FBref.com ranks him in the bottom third of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won per 90 minutes over the past 12 months.

The arrival of fellow centre-back Fofana (who ranks in the top quarter in the same metric) from Leicester should help Chelsea’s set-piece defence under Potter, but Koulibaly has to deliver on his considerable physical tools in the air.

---

Defensive success or failure is collective, not individual. You only need to look at how much more fallible Virgil van Dijk suddenly looks in a Liverpool team which so far this season is lacking the blistering intensity and tactical cohesion of previous years.

Koulibaly’s early difficulties must be viewed not only in terms of him adapting to English football but also through the prism of Chelsea’s broader defensive decline in the end times under Tuchel.

Replacement Potter’s most urgent task is to find a tactical framework that makes the most sense for Chelsea in every area of the pitch, with a pressing system that allows them to defend from the front first. This is now a significantly different group to the one Tuchel inherited in January of last year, so the solutions to those issues may take the team down a different path.

But if Potter can find the right structure, there is plenty of reason to believe a fully-adapted Koulibaly would offer more than he takes away.

[Blue Armour 4,289]

8 hours ago, Vesper said:

Kalidou Koulibaly: The weaknesses Chelsea need Graham Potter to fix urgently

https://theathletic.com/3589412/2022/09/18/kalidou-koulibaly-Chelsea-defence-problems/

When Kalidou Koulibaly was figuratively unveiled at Cobham in August, he tried to manage expectations.

“I will need time, because I can’t be the player everyone wants (me to be) from the first game,” he said. “I will take my time and in two or three months, I will be the one everyone is waiting for.”

ADVERTISEMENT

 

It wasn’t known then that head coach Thomas Tuchel did not have time to wait.

The Senegal international’s steep learning curve in a new team, tactical system and league after eight years in Italy with Napoli was a notable subplot of the underwhelming results that immediately preceded Chelsea’s new co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital deciding that a change in the dugout was required.

Arriving at Stamford Bridge with a reputation as one of the most revered centre-backs of his generation, Koulibaly was viewed by Tuchel as being capable of helping Chelsea re-establish their Champions League-winning defensive standards from day one.

Under the German, he started six of seven matches, only missing the other through suspension.

But Chelsea kept just one clean sheet in those games, and Koulibaly’s assessment of his own readiness proved more accurate than Tuchel’s hopes.

There have been enough flashes of preternatural defensive instincts and ability on the ball to encourage new head coach Graham Potter, but also occasions where the 31-year-old’s aggressive instincts and aerial fallibility have got his team into trouble.

---

Koulibaly has spoken about how he relishes individual duels with attackers. His desire to impose himself at every opportunity makes him an easy fit for a high-pressing system, as do his speed and his comfort with defending in space. Such a proactive style, however, means any miscalculation potentially carries a high price.

The last goal of the Tuchel era offered a prime example of that.

Dinamo Zagreb, playing out of a low block, punt a high ball up towards Bruno Petkovic. Having allowed the striker to drift away from him, Koulibaly rushes forward intending to make an interception or pressurise his opponent’s first touch…

…but he is too late to do either, and Petkovic simply cushions a header into the path of Mislav Orsic, who does brilliantly to beat a now isolated Wesley Fofana and finish coolly beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

On other occasions, Koulibaly’s failed attempts to win the ball high up the pitch have led to him committing unnecessary fouls as he scrambles to recover his position. Here he is on the opening weekend against Everton, tracking Anthony Gordon’s diagonal run.

Gordon doesn’t pose any immediate threat and Chelsea have the numbers behind the ball to cope with the counter, but Koulibaly still bundles him to the turf.

The following weekend at home to Tottenham, Koulibaly moves out towards Chelsea’s left touchline to track Harry Kane, who has drifted across to receive a pass from Emerson Royal.

He initially does well, forcing Kane to take his first touch away from goal to protect the ball…

…but then runs straight through him, conceding a free kick in a threatening position.

The most egregious examples came another week on at Elland Road, where Chelsea found themselves rattled early and often by Leeds United’s relentless running. Koulibaly in particular got himself into compromising defensive situations that ultimately led to his dismissal in the 84th minute.

An avoidable yellow card in the ninth minute left him walking a disciplinary tightrope.

He simply gets too close to Brenden Aaronson as the American receives a pass near the touchline.

Aaronson manages to use his forward momentum against him, spinning around him with a sharp first touch and tempting Koulibaly into grabbing him around the waist so he doesn’t drive into a dangerous area.

Koulibaly’s second booking was for a similar offence, albeit at a stage of the game where Tuchel had sacrificed all semblance of tactical balance by substituting his entire starting midfield in search of an equaliser.

As Leeds find themselves on a promising counter-attack, Joe Gelhardt lays the ball into the path of Sam Greenwood…

…and rather than simply running with his man, Koulibaly (perhaps out of frustration) wraps an arm around Gelhardt and pulls him down.

At that unveiling in August, a player who was voted onto Serie A’s Team of the Year four times during those eight years in Naples identified the main challenge of adapting to the Premier League, saying: “I have to think faster, go faster, and move my eyes faster.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

“In Serie A, everything is more with the brain, calmer. You have to think of every movement. Here, you have to think very fast, and this is the first thing I have to change.”

Potter will be hoping Koulibaly can get up to speed in that sense sooner rather than later.

---

It has not been all bad for Koulibaly so far at Chelsea.

Against Tottenham, he showcased many of the attributes that can make him immensely valuable to an elite team — beyond his sensational volley from a Marc Cucurella corner that opened the scoring.

His technical quality with the ball at his feet played a big role in Chelsea’s ability to beat the Spurs press, pin them back and play through their low block. Here, he shapes to play a pass with his left foot, assessing the options in front of him as Dejan Kulusevski moves to block his route forward to Mason Mount…

… but Koulibaly sees this and quickly runs around the ball, creating an angle to whip a pass with his right foot behind Kulusevski, into the space he just vacated. This way, he finds Mount in space.

On the occasions when Tottenham tried to press high, Koulibaly kept his head and trusted his technique. Here, he threads a low pass out of his penalty area through three opponents…

…directly onto the left foot of Kai Havertz, who can instantly re-direct it to Mount on the left flank and get Spurs running back towards their own goal.

In the opposition half, Koulibaly also found the right balance between safe, sideways passes and more incisive ones that took several opponents out of the play.

Here, he caps a one-touch passing sequence — Mount to Cucurella to Raheem Sterling and then back to him — with a sharp, first-time pass through a narrow gap back in to Mount’s feet.

There was even a moment in the second half when Koulibaly’s aggressive ball-winning instincts looked to have won the match for Chelsea. He pins Kulusevski against the right touchline from behind, with N’Golo Kante cutting off any escape from the other side.

Koulibaly manages to win the ball cleanly and send it spinning free to Kante, who plays a pass infield to Sterling.

This sequence leaves Reece James wide open on the overlap…

… and he scores to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead.

Once he re-tunes his instincts to the particular nature of Premier League football, Koulibaly will surely have plenty to offer Potter’s team in and out of possession.

---

Perhaps the most surprising issue in the final matches of Tuchel’s tenure was Chelsea’s sudden inability to defend set pieces successfully.

Last season, only Manchester City (one goal) conceded fewer Premier League goals from dead balls than Chelsea’s four but in their opening six matches of 2022-23, Tuchel’s men let in four set-piece goals. Only promoted Bournemouth (five) have allowed more, and Koulibaly has undeniably been part of the problem.

He has often too easily become a spectator as events play out, rather than using his formidable frame and athleticism to impact them for the benefit of his team.

For the shambolic corner-kick equaliser Chelsea conceded in stoppage time against Spurs, his starting position is fine…

…but by the time the ball loops into the six-yard box, he has retreated towards the goal line rather than moving forward to attack the delivery, contributing to a situation where any one of three Tottenham players could meet it with a free header.

Back in that opening win over Everton, Koulibaly fails to react to the trajectory of a high, arcing corner towards the back post, watching it sail over his head…

…and forcing Edouard Mendy to try to catch the ball while being swarmed by Yerry Mina and Dwight McNeil.

He does at least take up a good position on the line when the ball ends up at the feet of Abdoulaye Doucoure but this is a shot at goal Chelsea shouldn’t be letting happen in the first place.

West Ham’s opening goal at Stamford Bridge in the most recent Premier League game two weeks ago also reflects poorly on Koulibaly’s set-piece defending.

He is tasked with man-marking Tomas Soucek at the near post, but the Czech Republic international darts away from him…

… and by the time Mendy is challenged to make another aerial intervention under severe pressure, Koulibaly has drifted away from the goal line, watching the ball rather than anticipating what could happen, and so isn’t in a position to prevent Michail Antonio converting Declan Rice’s low cross.

It’s fair to note that all of the examples listed here are the result of multiple points of failure by several Chelsea players. In that sense, singling out Koulibaly might be a little harsh, but the reality is that as one of the tallest, most physically imposing players in the squad, Potter needs him to be better than we’ve seen so far.

This is where Koulibaly’s broader aerial duel numbers are a cause for concern: FBref.com ranks him in the bottom third of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won per 90 minutes over the past 12 months.

The arrival of fellow centre-back Fofana (who ranks in the top quarter in the same metric) from Leicester should help Chelsea’s set-piece defence under Potter, but Koulibaly has to deliver on his considerable physical tools in the air.

---

Defensive success or failure is collective, not individual. You only need to look at how much more fallible Virgil van Dijk suddenly looks in a Liverpool team which so far this season is lacking the blistering intensity and tactical cohesion of previous years.

Koulibaly’s early difficulties must be viewed not only in terms of him adapting to English football but also through the prism of Chelsea’s broader defensive decline in the end times under Tuchel.

Replacement Potter’s most urgent task is to find a tactical framework that makes the most sense for Chelsea in every area of the pitch, with a pressing system that allows them to defend from the front first. This is now a significantly different group to the one Tuchel inherited in January of last year, so the solutions to those issues may take the team down a different path.

But if Potter can find the right structure, there is plenty of reason to believe a fully-adapted Koulibaly would offer more than he takes away.

Interesting read (thanks for the share),- the article raises more alarm bells for me., with regards to Koulibaly.

Apart from his ability on the ball, there's not been much to shout about, especially when it comes to his defending. The article highlights even more mistakes than what I've noticed from watching the games.

Maybe Potter could somehow get more from him, but at the same time he needs to get the team winning again from the very next game and I'm not sure I'd I would risk starting Koulibaly in order to do that.

I would either bring him back for a lower tier cup game or only after we hit a strong run of form (hopefully).

 

 

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

20 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

Interesting read (thanks for the share),- the article raises more alarm bells for me., with regards to Koulibaly.

Apart from his ability on the ball, there's not been much to shout about, especially when it comes to his defending. The article highlights even more mistakes than what I've noticed from watching the games.

Maybe Potter could somehow get more from him, but at the same time he needs to get the team winning again from the very next game and I'm not sure I'd I would risk starting Koulibaly in order to do that.

I would either bring him back for a lower tier cup game or only after we hit a strong run of form (hopefully).

 

 

He'll definitely get caught out alot more in the Premier League (part of the reason why the other top clubs in PL never really pushed for his transfer) as his eagerness to get forward and put pressure or close down the opposition's attackers will lead to plenty of fouls in dangerous areas. 

Will be interesting to see how Potter utilizes him, maybe he settles down once we get an actual defensive midfielder in place.  Just look at City with Rodri doing the dirty work in midfield, their CB's don't have to deal with that much and they can sit back and take risks as required rather than having to compensate for a midfield that needs reinforcements!

[Mário César 975]

much better now 

[Vesper 28,832]

Top of the league, and he will only get better, I have hope. Laugh at me if you want, I am going to be Postive London Stockholm Girl 😝

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Vesper

[TheHulk 1,858]

This player is fecking garbage. No way Badiashile is so bad even if I don't rate him.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Been a bust. Looks like Benitez was right about him, his concentration levels are so so so poor for somebody of his age and experience. Just seems to get sucked in and done far too often. Massively disappointing. 

[Pizy 18,368]

Man, I was so excited about this signing. And out of all of the players we brought in last summer he was the one I was least worried about. Figured we’d get Thiago Silva like performances and ease of adjusting to the PL. Even when he was struggling earlier in the season I was urging patience. 

But he hasn’t gotten any better. Today was perhaps the most worrying sign. Thiago Silva was visibly angry and frustrated with him. Yelling at him, throwing his arms up in annoyance, and as the game wore on he straight up started not passing it to KK out of fear he’d make a mistake. And then KK himself became terrified of making a forward pass because his confidence is so poor.

Just don’t understand how such an experienced, top level CB can be a total bust virtually overnight.

[Blue Armour 4,289]

Back when we signed him in the summer, I saw this article from the mail comparing his stats against other CBs.

How does Koulibaly compare to Chelsea stars and Big Six stalwarts? 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11010037/How-does-Kalidou-Koulibaly-compare-Chelsea-stars-Big-Six-stalwarts.html

At the time, I was a bit shocked because he was objectively worse in nearly every department. (Especially the number of times he has been dribbled past by)

I mean, a defender who has been praised to the moon by his former managers.

And now, reality hits. Terrible at tracking back, unimaginative in attack.

The only thing he does is press upwards to defend, and almost gives up a foul in the process. And he is just gassed every game.

Silva is nearly 6 years older than him and plays with great tempo.

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Blue Armour

[Vesper 28,832]

10 minutes ago, Blue Armour said:

Especially the number of times he has been dribbled past by

Sarr's rate is 50% higher than KK's on a per minute played basis

[Vytis33 1,142]

He's been shocking so far Spurs game aside.  Constantly lunging in on challenges

[DDA 9,690]

Absolute liability of a defender LOL

 

 

 

Hes playing on ghe right side of the center backs to cover Azpis lack of pace only to chase everyone around like a fucking donkey.

LoL you couldn't make it up.

 

 

 

 

[Magic Lamps 11,654]

Rüdiger to Koulibaly must be the biggest CB downgrade for top 6 club in recent history. Only beaten by Kante to Gallagher

I always thought he was overrated even in his prime at Napoli. Always been rash and clearly most of his pace and leap by now.

The fault lies with the board for having monitored more closely when everybody knew he was shit. And also with Potter for playing him over Trev.

Tragic we even paid quite a bit of money for this 31 has been.

He appears to be a genuine enough guy off the pitch so I will not go on a full hate rant here. Just hopes he pulls his stuff together and

[laura90 556]

I was so angry when I realized we were replacing Rudiger with him. I called it downgrade of the biggest proportion. Silva signing was , as great for our defense most of the times, really bad for our transfer policy. It really convinced somebody that every player in his thirties can play as good . After Silva we  started signing pensioners in every department even considering renewing contracts to our own . What was behind KK, Sterling, Auba signings? Was that for marketing purposes? Our best shot to get star players, even after their prime? Was that Boehly's perception that football club can be run as baseball or basketball club where average age is 35 or something?

Was Lukaku marketing signing? When we couldn't land star in his prime, we landed another , past his prime.

Fofana had major injury, and even though we had hideous times with our injured wingbacks, we paid premium money for him.

Only Cucurella I can stomach, bad scouting. 

And every one of this duds is on giant contract? No wonder we are singing only youngsters. Those are the only ones we can afford now days.

We don't have money for this world cup wonderkid I'm afraid.

[Mhsc 876]

He’s just a bad version of Harry Maguire. My only hope is this was a Tuchel signing that Boehly agreed to despite the data saying it would be a bad signing and it is something he’s learned from.

Honestly think we should sell him this window to any buyer that will pay 10m+

Edited January 2, 2023 by Mhsc