Kalidou Koulibaly: How his experience can help Chelsea both in and out of possession – scout report

Thomas Tuchel is working on filling the gaps in Chelsea’s squad after a turbulent last few months being concerned about their future and the new ownership. However, it looks like everything turned out well for the club and they are now looking for new additions to join their ambitious team.

After sending out Romelu Lukaku on loan to Internazionale and letting go of Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, they needed to find replacements that could meet the expectations and help the team in competing in the domestic and European cups in the 2022/23 season.

The Blues already introduced Raheem Sterling as the new face in the attack, but they have secured a replacement at the back as well. The new addition to Chelsea’s defensive line is Kalidou Koulibaly who joins them from Napoli.

The 31-year-old had proven to be a key figure for the Italian side, and his experience will certainly help the Londoners minimise the impact of Rüdiger and Christensen’s departures.

In this scout report, we use tactical analysis to examine how Koulibaly’s style of play and strengths could fit Tuchel’s tactics and explain why the club paid €38 million to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Why did Chelsea need a central defender?

Chelsea’s need for a centre-back was underlined with the departure of their regular starter Rüdiger. While the German had his flaws, he turned into one of the leaders of the team in the last few years and an irreplaceable part of the starting eleven.

He fulfilled the team’s need for a ball-playing defender and supported the side both in and out of possession. That’s why his departure, along with his teammate Christensen, left a gap in Chelsea’s defence due to the limited number of players who can meet the requirements for this role.

The Blues needed a player with composure who can comfortably retain possession at the back but also have the positional and spatial awareness to bypass pressure and help with ball progression, must-haves that Tuchel’s back-three formation and philosophy cannot function without.

While Koulibaly has played in a four-man defensive line for most of his spell at Napoli, he does possess the qualities Chelsea were looking for.

The role doesn’t require only contributing in possession, of course, as the importance of the defensive actions in a back-three is immense and the Blues needed a player who has increased awareness and ability to step up during transitions.

Koulibaly’s impact in possession

The Senegalese’s contribution in possession is beneficial for the team in many aspects. The combination of his short and long passing will allow the team to retain possession at the back but also help them progress the ball by finding spaces and bypassing the press.

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