Napoli were not at full strength in their Champions League loss to Chelsea on Wednesday night.
Antonio Conte was missing several players, including his first-choice goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and David Neres.
However, that did not stop Napoli from having a real go and really attacking Marc Cucurella and the rest of Chelsea’s backline.
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Napoli 2-3 Chelsea
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Cucurella managed to defend quite well, but the same cannot be said about one of his teammates.
Chelsea's French defender #29 Wesley Fofana (R) speaks to Chelsea's English defender #24 Reece James
Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images
Marc Cucurella discusses Napoli’s one-v-ones against Wesley Fofana
In the end, Chelsea were able to beat Napoli, but it was not a straightforward victory. They conceded two goals in a 3-2 victory, with Rasmus Hojlund causing Wesley Fofana plenty of problems.
The central defender was caught sleeping before Hojlund’s goal and was spun by Antonio Vergara in the build-up to his equaliser.
All in all, it was a tough night for Fofana, who found himself in a lot of one-v-one situations, according to Cucurella.
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SSC Napoli v Chelsea FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8
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Speaking about what Chelsea did differently in the second half and Fofana’s struggles during the game, the left-back told TNT Sports: “The manager said that we need to control a little bit the ball, make three passes every time we win the ball back, and then we adjusted as well a little bit the pressure because, the first half, I think they found a lot of times one-v-one with Wes, and then we adjusted a little bit. But I think in general, the game was very good. I think we did a great effort, and we deserve this win.”
Fofana was the only recognised centre-back on the pitch in the first half, which probably did not help the Frenchman. However, that was addressed in the second half when Trevoh Chalobah came on to play alongside Fofana, Cucurella and Reece James in the Blues’ backline.
Marc Cucurella of Chelsea FC reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between SSC Napoli and Chelsea FC
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
How many times was Wesley Fofana dribbled past?
In total, Fofana was dribbled past twice, although it felt like he was beaten more times than that.
Nevertheless, it was still the most times a player was dribbled past at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, according to Sofascore.
Napoli’s Juan Jesus was also dribbled past twice, while it was the Brazilian that conceded the penalty that Enzo Fernandez calmly dispatched.
Ultimately, it was not Fofana’s best game in a Chelsea shirt. But again, had the France international lined up alongside another natural centre-half, like Trevoh Chalobah or Benoit Badiashile, maybe he would have played better.
It is now unlikely that Liam Rosenior experiments with Fofana and James again.
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