How Napoli Defender Kalidou Koulibaly Has Gone From Laughing Stock To One Of Europe's Best

How Napoli Defender Kalidou Koulibaly Has Gone From Laughing Stock To One Of Europe's Best
10:09, 23 Jan 2018

Italy has a long tradition of producing talented defenders, the very fabric of the game on the peninsula woven from tales of men capable of stopping the most gifted attacking players the world has ever seen. Indeed, Serie A’s reputation of being a league that has always been home to the best man markers and sweepers – not to mention the incredible tactical acumen of its coaches – has been carried to every corner of the globe.

While that status is unquestionably well deserved, it has led to the widely held belief that Italian football is dour and dull. That is a question that can be and is debated endlessly, be it in cafes, bars or even on Twitter, yet perhaps instead the benefits and stars it has given to the sport should be celebrated?

The tradition began almost a century ago with names such as Virginio Rosetta and Umberto Caligaris, their legacy continuing with Gaetano Scirea, Franco Baresi and Beppe Bergomi, all regarded among the very best of all time. After those iconic figures called time on their careers, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta picked up the baton, then handed it on to the Juventus BBC trio of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

When one of those three decided to branch out on his own with AC Milan, it brought to light a rare but recurring theme in Serie A. Medhi Benatia – whose incredible performances for Juve this term were previously discussed here – stepped in to replace Bonucci, and in doing so became the latest in a pantheon of elite foreign defenders shining in Italy.

Lilian Thuram, Ivan Cordoba, Walter Samuel and Thiago Silva are among the few to join this elite group, while Fiorentina fans would also rightly champion the cases of Daniel Passarella and Gonzalo Rodriguez to be mentioned alongside them. Yet over the past 18 months, it is another name altogether who has staked his claim to be ranked among these supreme examples, Kalidou Koulibaly developing into one of the finest central defenders of his generation.

That he has done so while playing for the current incarnation of Napoli makes his consistently excellent performances even more remarkable. Under the tutelage of Maurizio Sarri, the Partenopei have become a formidable attacking threat, so good that Pep Guardiola labelled them “maybe the best” team he had ever faced. Their constant movement and relentless passing unleashes a potent front three, while Marek Hamsik joins full-backs Elseid Hysaj and Faouzi Ghoulam in pressing forward at every opportunity.

Combining their penchant for bombing up the pitch with the unreliable displays of Spanish duo Pepe Reina and Raul Albiol means Napoli should be exposed at the back, but opponents soon realise that in order to score they must first get past Koulibaly. Standing 6’ 5” (195cm) tall and powerfully built, he immediately cuts an imposing figure and it is no surprise to see that he won 61% of the aerial duels he contested last term.

Exceptionally quick across the ground, the 26-year-old also averaged two tackles, 2.4 interceptions and 4.2 clearances per 90 minutes according to WhoScored, the latter figure markedly lower than many of his peers due to Napoli’s possession-based approach. Sarri’s men retain the ball more than any of their rivals by some distance, keeping the ball 60.1% of the time with Roma’s mark of 57% placing them second.

The same is true in terms of passing where Napoli complete an average of 724 attempts per game, putting them 144 ahead of Juve’s second-place tally of 580. Koulibaly certainly plays his part in that patient approach, his average of 84.2 passes per 90 minutes second in Serie A with only team-mate Jorginho (96.4) ahead of him. That his completion rate of 90.9 is even higher than the Brazilian-born midfielder shows just how good the distribution of the former Metz man has become, while it also hints at the improvement he has shown since Sarri took charge.

Koulibaly arrived at Napoli back in the summer of 2014, the club paying Genk just £6.5 million to sign him outright, but even that looked like an expensive outlay following his first season at the club. He looked lost, like Bambi on ice as he skidded around, constantly caught out of position and prone to needless fouls. He was clearly trying to follow instructions, but the words of his new manager simply had very little effect on a player who was struggling to adapt to the demands of a foreign league and country.

“Rafael Benitez explained to me exactly where I had to be on the pitch using drinking glasses,” Kouliably told Il Mattino. “On my first day at training he gave me a personalised video which had everything on it, what I was doing wrong etc. He told me that if I did what he said, could become a great player.” Yet they would only finish fifth and ship 54 goals, meaning the new man was part of the twelfth worst defence in Serie A and the club spent the first few weeks of that summer looking to ship him out.

Norwich were one of few sides to express interest, but then Maurizio Sarri started work as Napoli Coach and decided he wanted to keep Koulibaly around. Rather than use tableware, the gruff Tuscan deployed a drone above the training ground, then took his players out onto the pitch and – using the images he had recorded – physically put them in the right position for any given situation.

“He rediscovered me, he gave me confidence,” Koulibaly told Il Messaggero back in October. “He really is a genius, he sees things others don’t see. He makes you understand how football is and that it isn’t as unpredictable as it seems. He’s a scholar, any question you ask him, he always has an answer… and it’s always right. He helps you to think as a team and not as an individual.”

The 59-year-old has certainly clicked with his defensive linchpin, the two enjoying a fine relationship and a crystal clear understanding of what they expect from one another. Sarri discussed as a great coach who brings the very best from the players at his disposal, his Napoli side now boasting the best defensive record in the league after conceding just 13 goals in 20 league games.

Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly has gone from laughing stock to being a widely coveted asset, not to mention the latest in a select group of foreign central defenders to look right at home in Serie A’s demanding tactical environment.

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