Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher (Picture: The Overlap)
Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix ‘does not look comfortable’ in Xabi Alonso’s system, according to Jamie Carragher.
Lacroix has featured in all eight Premier League matches so far this season since joining from Crystal Palace for £52million over the summer.
The Frenchman has predominantly operated in the centre of a back five, but has been asked to play as a right centre-back when Alonso has moved to a four-at-the-back formation.
Lacroix was asked to play both roles against Tottenham last weekend, but struggled as the Blues fell to a 2-0 home defeat against their local rivals.
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And former Liverpool defender Carragher suggested he is yet to be won over by Lacroix since his move to Stamford Bridge.
‘It felt like he’d brought a goalkeeper in the summer, Emiliano Martínez, and he’s obviously not the same goalkeeper he was when he won the World Cup,’ he told The Overlap Fan Debate with Sky Bet.
‘But when I look at your defenders, I look at the lad at right-back, I think he’s doing really well, Josh Acheampong, I think he’s doing really well.
EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Nigel Keene/ProSports/Shutterstock (17232763bq) Maxence Lacroix (5) of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge, London Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League - 24 Oct 2026
Maxence Lacroix (Picture: Shutterstock)
‘But I look at the signing of Maxence Lacroix, and I really liked him at Crystal Palace in a back three.
‘But I was watching you against Tottenham and in other games this season, and I was seeing him pressing man-to-man, and everyone was jumping out, and it just didn’t look comfortable to me, or mobile enough to be in a back four and jumping out of man-to-man marking and jumping out to James Maddison.
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‘And it just feels to me when I look at the defenders, I think I’ve said this a lot, if you look at every defender, they’re the same, six out of ten, seven out of ten.
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‘There’s still not got that somebody you build your defence around or who can hold it all together. It just looks very average.’
Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways on Wednesday when they face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, and Lacroix insisted he and his teammates are relishing that challenge.
‘It’s a big game for us,’ he told the club’s official website.
‘We want to go far in this competition and it’s good that we have a game like this now.
‘We have to move on and work on some details to be stronger in certain moments and change some situations.
‘We have to show the reaction of a competitor. We want to show another face, we want to win there, and it’s going to be a big game.’
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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Harry Kane of FC Bayern Munich and England accepts the Men's Ballon d'Or award during the 70th Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Palladium Theatre on October 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Harry Kane of FC Bayern Munich and England accepts the Men's Ballon d'Or award during the 70th Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Palladium Theatre on October 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)