Chris Sutton has claimed that Chelsea and Senegal star Kalidou Koulibaly defends aggressively, so he’s intrigued to watch him play tomorrow against England at the World Cup.
Senegal face off against England this Sunday in the last-16 of the World Cup.
For African champions Senegal, Chelsea duo Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy are key senior figures in their starting line-up.
Koulibaly, 31, is a powerhouse defender that’s representing and captaining his country at this winter’s World Cup.
The £33million centre-back is certainly an old school defender that’s capable of bullying attackers with his pace and power. He’s got the technical and passing game of a modern centre-half, too.
Koulibaly defends aggressively
Sutton is looking forward to watching Koulibaly face off against Tottenham and England centre-forward Harry Kane.
“The last time Kane faced Koulibaly, or Edouard Mendy for that matter, he scored a stoppage-time leveller at Stamford Bridge in August. Koulibaly is physical and likes to do his defending up close and personal, but Kane likes to drop deep and operate away from the opposition defenders. It will be interesting to see who wins the battle,” Sutton wrote for the Daily Mail.
Koulibaly may need to be wary of England’s wingers this Sunday just as much as Kane.
There’s no doubt England have plenty of goals and creativity from the wide roles with wingers that will cut infield with real pace.
Koulibaly’s form at Chelsea has been a little inconsistent since joining in the summer, but he’s looking at his defensive best at this World Cup. He was named pre-tournament as one of the top 50 players, something he may be living up to.
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