Kalidou Koulibaly was regarded as one of the best defenders in the World during his time at Napoli.
His consistent performance in the Italian Serie A earned him the best defender in the Italian Serie A in 2019.
After a successful eight years with Napoli, the Senegalese international joined Chelsea for £35 million. The 31-year-old is struggling to replicate the consistent performance he showed during his time at Napoli.
Ex-Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has revealed Koulibaly Is struggling because of the style and intensity of the Premier League.
What did William Gallas say about Kalidou Koulibaly?
He said via Genting Casino: “Kalidou Koulibaly is struggling at Chelsea because it is a different league and style.
“To play in England and to play in Italy are two different things.
“Your teammates are different. You are not the best defender on your team. In Napoli, he was the best defender. At Chelsea, it is different.
“You are not the main guy so you have to adapt. In my opinion, when you are coming from another league, you need at least one year to adapt, especially if you have family. So you need to adapt.”
Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly has admitted they share in the frustration of the Chelsea supporters and will do everything to turn things around.
He said after Chelsea’s defeat to Fulham: “We know it’s difficult for the supporters,’ acknowledged Koulibaly after another disappointing day at the office.
“We are going to do everything to change this situation, and I hope the supporters keep believing in this team.
“There is a lot of pressure on the manager
and on the team, but everybody is behind the manager. We want to help him and make him proud, it’s difficult at the moment but we’re going to do everything. We are going to help each other, and as a team we are going to keep on working. “
He commented on the recent Chelsea injuries: “We know we have a lot of injuries, players who are missing.
“It’s difficult in this moment but we have to keep on working. We cannot stay like this and wait for them to come back to show something else on the pitch. It’s a difficult situation but we can’t complain about that, we just have to work hard and keep on believing.”
Joao Felix made his debut for Chelsea, but his first match for Chelsea was cut short he was shown a straight red. The Portuguese international showed a glimpse of his ability. He was arguably Chelsea’s best attacker on the night despite playing such 60 minutes of the match.
On Joao Felix’s debut performance, he added: “He’s a talented player, an important player for us.
“We saw in the 60 minutes what he can do, a lot of good things. He can change the game, he can score and give some passes. We know he is going to help us, and having a player who can change the situation is good for the confidence of the team.”
