‘How on earth did he score from there!’: Martin Keown claims Wesley Fofana ‘should have caught’ Orsic for Dinamo Zagreb opener while Joe Cole scrutinizes positioning of Chelsea’s new £75m defender in question
- Joe Cole, Peter Crouch and Martin Keown have all criticized Chelsea’s defence
- The Blues lost 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League
- Kalidou Koulibaly lost a halfway header that allowed a break
- Wesley Fofana was then passed by Mislav Orsic who ran through and scored
Joe Cole, Peter Crouch and Martin Keown have all criticized Chelsea’s signings of Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly after Dinamo Zagreb took the lead after a questionable defense against the Blues in the Champions League tonight.
Mislav Orsic scored in the 13th minute from a Fofana counterattack after Koulibaly initially lost a header to Bruno Petkovic on the halfway line.
Cole and Crouch, who worked as pundits at BT Sport, quizzed the duo, with Crouch saying he would be “angry” if he were Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana was passed by Mislav Orsic for the first goal of the game
Kalidou Kouliably lost an important header to Bruno Petkovic in the run-up to the penalty area
“It’s a nice header from Petvokic for goal but Koulibaly has to do better,” said Cole, who made 282 appearances for Chelsea.
“Fofana comes into the wrong position and Orsic – who has been a thorn in the side of the English sides – is a nice finish.”
Crouch added: “If I were the manager I would be furious. Chelsea had it in their hands, they cut Zagreb open, I just thought they took liberties.
“They weren’t clinical, the extra pass and then Zagreb gets something to hold on to. They aren’t henchmen either, they also harbor dangers right at the front.’
Mislav Orsic’s goal was celebrated by Zagreb, who put in a solid performance
Keown, commentating on the game, said: “Incredible! I really thought Fofana should have caught up with his pace. I think Tuchel is looking at it and wondering how on earth he scored from there!
Chelsea opened with a simple long ball before Kouliably’s error, prompting criticism of the Blues’ midfield.
Tuchel’s side are struggling for numbers in this area as Ngolo Kante is injured and Mateo Kovacic has just returned from injury. The German was forced to play out of position against Conor Gallagher while Mason Mount was selected to play deeper in Croatia.
Koulibaly had a mixed start to his Chelsea career, struggling throughout in Croatia
Joe Cole was one of three pundits to criticize Chelsea’s opening goal save
Cole said: “We talked about Kovacic and Mount’s midfield pairing being even, but this time it just wasn’t.
“Take care of Koulibaly, he has to realize it [the danger]. It’s two against one and it’s all right, but when the ball is played he has to get over it and take it [Petkovic] out, but he doesn’t. Fofana has to go down there too – he goes in, he nibbles and then it bangs.”
Crouch questioned Fofana’s match fitness after the Frenchman skipped Leicester games in anticipation of his move from the Foxes to the London side, before admitting Chelsea would regret missed chances in the early moments of the game.
Fofana made his Champions League debut for Chelsea after joining the club last week
‘She [Koulibaly and Fofana] both rely on the same man and then Orsic has the momentum, the pace,” he said.
“Fofana should go back there, he might not be fit and then it’s a nice centre-forward game for goal.
“Joe and I have both been in games where the first ten minutes are so easy and you just take risks at will, you take liberties. But Aubameyang needs to be more clinical.”
