'Koulibaly has no personality in Chelsea'

King in Naples, substitute in London. That’s the current status of Kalidou Koulibaly in Chelsea. The Senegal captain was an unreplaceable member of Napoli’s first team during his 8 years and, as per his own words, wanted to make a change and a new challenge. Chelsea were in dire need of a defender and Koulibaly was a logical choice. He was an instant starter for Thomas Tuchel, but his luck changed when Graham Potter arrived at the club.

English tactician was aware of Koulibaly’s shaky performances under Tuchel and decided to switch him over to the bench. And famous Italian manager Fabio Capello analyzed the Senegalese defender’s performances.

“At Chelsea he has no personality. When he has the ball at his feet he hesitates. He is not playing quickly, he does not do what he did at Napoli. At Napoli he commanded, he came forward, he made long passes, now he has the ball between his feet, he does not know who to pass it to and he always plays passes to someone only a few metres away. Actually, he is surprising me. I thought he had a great personality, and for Chelsea he would be really important and explode straight away. And yet, at this moment, this is not him” Capello told Sky Sports Italy.

'It’s up to me to show that I deserve to play'

The acclimatisation period in his new club is obviously not over, and with a new manager, that period will extend a bit, since all players will have to learn the demands of the new coach, Koulibaly included. He was on the bench for two matches (Salzburg and Crystal Palace), but played whole 90 minutes in a convincing 3-0 win over Milan in the Champions League. He was a starter mainly due to the fact that Marc Cucurella was injured but nevertheless had a good display. The future games will show if the acclimatization period has passed.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 10

Saturday

17.00: (3.50) Bournemouth (3.50) Leicester (2.24)

17.00: (1.45) Chelsea (4.60) Wolverhampton (9.50)

17.00: (1.17) Man.City (10.0) Southampton (18.0)

17.00: (1.89) Newcastle (3.70) Brentford (4.60)

19.30: (2.90) Brighton (3.25) Tottenham (2.70)

Sunday

16.00: (2.24) Crystal Palace (3.40) Leeds (3.60)

16.00: (1.84) West Ham (3.70) Fulham (5.00)

18.30: (2.70) Arsenal (3.40) Liverpool (2.80)

21.00: (3.60) Everton (3.50) Man.Utd. (2.19)

Monday

22.00: (3.40) Notth. Forest (3.35) Aston Villa (2.35)

***odds are subject to change