Jason Cundy was seriously impressed by Chelsea’s first-team star in last weekend’s victory over Leicester City, but he’s still not completely sold on him as a player.
Chelsea returned after the international break with a 2-1 away win at Leicester in the Premier League. As a result, they currently sit third in the division table.
Next, the Blues face German club Heidenheim on Thursday evening in the Conference League group stages. Heidenheim manager Frank Schmidt has previewed the Chelsea clash by saying he wants his side to believe in the plan to beat the English giants.
Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea controls the ball during the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Chelsea FC at The King Power Stadium o...
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Jason Cundy isn’t fully convinced by Benoit Badiashile yet
Jason Cundy thinks Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile, 23, was excellent last Saturday. The French defender was making his first league start of the 2024/25 campaign, but he really impressed at the King Power Stadium.
However, Cundy still has his reservations about the centre-half and wants to see much more.
When discussing Badiashile’s recent performance versus Leicester, Cundy told talkSPORT: “I thought he was excellent. The problem is I’ve sat on shows before and said he was excellent, two weeks later we’re talking about a player that is misplacing passes and making wrong decisions.
“Look, the best players in the world make the best decisions, that’s why they’re so consistent. Benoit Badiashile, the problem he’s got is as soon as [Malo] Gusto gets fit or as soon as Reece [James] gets fit, I don’t find a place for him…
“Credit to him and credit to the manager… He was excellent. Really, really good. I want to see that again and again and again…
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“I’m still very much on the fence on him, but credit where credit is due, he was superb.”
Chelsea ace Badiashile redeemed himself against Leicester with the type of solid performance that showed real improvement in his game.
Will Benoit Badiashile kick on at Chelsea?
There were a few raised eyebrows when Badiashile was named in Enzo Maresca’s starting line-up versus Leicester. Thankfully, he totally justified his spot in the team with a commanding performance at the back.
The £35m centre-back (Sky Sports) was authoritative both in and out possession to remind everyone of his qualities.
Minutes played Touches Accurate passes Interceptions Recoveries Blocks Clearances Match rating
90 114 92/103 (89%) 4 7 1 2 7.9
Benoit Badiashile’s performance versus Leicester via Fotmob
Frank Leboeuf was seriously impressed by Chelsea’s Badiashile at Leicester, forming a great partnership alongside Levi Colwill.
Like Cundy mentions above, Badiashile’s biggest challenge will be staying in the XI when everyone’s fit. He’s just got to impress and keep his standards high whenever he gets on the pitch, whether that’s in league or cup matches.
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