Kalidou Koulibaly explains why he wasn’t surprised to not be picked | OneFootball

Kalidou Koulibaly has been linked to the Premier League for such a long time, and had shown such good form at Napoli, that it was pretty much assumed he’d be a starter in this new look Chelsea defence from day one.

He did slot in right away, and had some pretty good games, but a couple of shaky performances combined with the arrival of a new manager, meant he spent our last game on the bench.

On international duty, the Senegal star cooled any panic, and explained what Chelsea fans had been saying all along – it is just a case of a new coach relying on experienced players.

We saw a similar setup when Thomas Tuchel arrived for his first game, with a new face in the dugout preferring players who are 100% settled and comfortable in the Premier League over those who are still adjusting, even if they might be his long term option.