Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell has criticised Benoit Badiashile for his role in Atalanta's winning goal, arguing the defender failed to cover Marc Cucurella and allowed Charles De Ketelaere too much space. Chelsea lost the match 2-1 in the Champions League.
Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell has singled out Benoit Badiashile for criticism, believing the defender let down team-mate Marc Cucurella by failing to close down Charles De Ketelaere for Atalanta's winning goal in the Champions League.
Sidwell argued that Badiashile should have covered the space, leaving Cucurella exposed as Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Badiashile blamed for leaving Cucurella exposed
Chelsea suffered another defensive setback in the Champions League, losing 2-1 to Atalanta in Italy. Joao Pedro had given the Blues an early lead in the 25th minute, but Gianluca Scamacca equalised for the hosts in the 55th minute.
The decisive moment came in the 83rd minute when Charles De Ketelaere found space to score the winner for Atalanta.
Former Chelsea player Steve Sidwell, speaking on TNT Sports, pinpointed Benoit Badiashile as the culprit for the goal, arguing he failed to support Marc Cucurella. Sidwell explained that Cucurella was holding his position to cover the threat of Davide Zappacosta on the wing, and Badiashile should have sensed the danger and closed down De Ketelaere.
"Cucurella can’t engage, so he’s saying to Badiashile ‘come over’. At some point, Badiashile has to come over and stop that shot. You can’t let players shoot when you’re three yards away from them," Sidwell said. Even De Ketelaere himself admitted post-match that he was surprised by the amount of space he was afforded.
Maresca's defensive rotation causes issues
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca continues to struggle to find a settled central defensive partnership. Against Atalanta, he started with Trevoh Chalobah and Badiashile, but Chalobah was replaced by Wesley Fofana after picking up an early yellow card. The Frenchman was forced off later with a gruesome eye injury, leading to Tosin Adarabioyo coming on late in the game.
The constant rotation in defence is proving problematic for Maresca, who has made more changes to his starting XI this season than any other club, partly due to the quick turnaround after the Club World Cup. This rotation has seen players featuring in unfamiliar positions, with Reece James and Malo Gusto playing in midfield against Atalanta, and Josh Acheampong at right-back despite primarily being a centre-back.
Chelsea's squad currently includes a long list of first-team centre-backs: Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Josh Acheampong. The club reportedly needs to offload defenders before signing any new ones, with Levi Colwill considered "untouchable."
Atalanta defeat leaves Chelsea 11th in Champions League
The defeat to Atalanta leaves Chelsea in 11th place in the Champions League standings with 10 points from six matches. They have won three, drawn one, and lost two. The result drops them out of the top eight automatic qualification spots and into the play-off positions. Atalanta, meanwhile, moved up to third place with 13 points.
Despite having slightly more possession (51%) and a similar number of passes, Chelsea were unable to convert their chances and were punished for defensive lapses. The Blues committed 14 fouls compared to Atalanta's six, picking up one yellow card in the process.
What next for Chelsea?
Chelsea will need to bounce back quickly from their Champions League disappointment as they face a busy schedule. They return to Premier League action on Saturday with a home match against Everton. Following that, they travel to face Cardiff City in the EFL Cup quarter-final on Wednesday. Maresca will be hoping to find a more stable defensive formula and return to winning ways to avoid a slump at a crucial stage of the season.