Southampton 2-1 Chelsea: Three lessons learnt in another defeat
3. Positioning should aid defending, not replace it
The reason centerbacks and defenders in general need to have excellent positioning is so they can be well-positioned to make key defensive actions. A team can avert danger only if a defensive player is in place and he makes the appropriate defensive action. They cannot avert danger if the defender is not there to defend, or is there and does nothing.
The latter was the story of Chelsea’s new centerback, Kalidou Koulibaly. Koulibaly was in the direct line of two key Southampton shots on Tuesday. The first one was the first goal, and the second one was the second goal.
The first goal whizzed by Koulibaly’s chest, who was kneeling right in the line of sight of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. He was on one knee, and he should have blocked the shot as it was a long shot and the ball was already coming at him anyway. Instead, Koulibaly left the ball, and by the time Mendy saw it, it was too late. The shot-stopper dove late and got his fingers to the ball, but it still rattled the back of the net.
The second goal was a situation of Saints players shamefully pulling the Blues’ defensive players every which way. When the shot came in, Koulibaly turned around and it hit his back on its way into the top corner. Mendy looked like he followed the ball well, but it took a deflection off his Senegalese teammate and went in. Koulibaly should have blocked that shot too, especially since he was, again, standing right in front of Mendy. Thiago Silva—Koulibaly’s centerback partner on the day—blocked three shots in the match against Southampton, so Koulibaly blocking zero shots in the circumstances above shows that he didn’t give a good account of himself in the game.
Koulibaly was in very good position for both goals, but being in position is only good if you do something good with it to produce a positive outcome for your side. The veteran centerback did nothing, and that didn’t help in the end. Of course, the Senegalese international is not the reason the Blues conceded those goals and lost, or at least not the sole reason.
Next. Southampton 2-1 Chelsea player ratings: Sterling scores again. dark
What are some of the lessons you learnt in the defeat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!