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Wesley Fofana of Chelsea
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Jamie Carragher blasts Chelsea star when analysing penalty decisions against Sunderland
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher
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Replays showed that contact began millimetres outside the box, but Palmer was about to enter the box and get a shot off; unlucky. Then, Chelsea conceded a penalty; Levi Colwill fouled striker Brobbey.
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Jamie Carragher questions Jarred Gillett after Cole Palmer call
Brobbey gave Chelsea’s defenders hell all afternoon, and when the Dutchman was substituted, it is even claimed that the centre-back duo at the time – Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo – clapped him off.
Colwill had been taken off at half-time, with the impression being that Xabi Alonso made a tactical decision rather than an injury. Mike Penders thinks Gillett made the wrong call for Sunderland’s penalty.
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The referee was very amateur, it was not a penalty at all, and the one which Palmer be tripped was a penalty.Estêvão was tripped and awarded Estêvão a foul.This is shameful.
Defense and offense must be converted quickly, as before. Two or three midfielders
But Carragher explains that while he couldn’t be sure for Palmer’s claim for a penalty, Sunderland’s was a penalty because Brobbey got the wrong side of Colwill. He gave a verdict on the decisions on Sky Sports.
On the first penalty, Carragher said that he could not believe Gillett didn’t actually give a foul: “It’s a terrible challenge from Luke O’Nien. What is he thinking? I don’t know. How the ref doesn’t give a foul.
“Inside the box or not; he doesn’t know whether to give a penalty so he is waiting for VAR to help him. There’s a foot that stops just before, and I think they’re saying that. [Can I be sure?] No,” Carragher said.
Carragher delivers a much-needed lesson to Colwill
Then, Carragher gave Colwill a lesson, explaining that he should use Brobbey to go backwards, rather than outmuscling the striker: “Blatant foul. It probably looks like six of one and half a dozen of the other.
“When you’re driving a car, and someone comes into you from behind, no matter what happens, it’s your fault. If you’re a defender and I get myself so tight, this is always going to happen; it’s always a foul.
“You’ve got to go away from him; don’t have contact. You have to be there with an arm so you can push back the other way. He’s so strong; I’m not going to push him forward. I need to push myself backwards.”
Chelsea in centre-back crisis; January can’t come soon enough
Colwill is not the only Chelsea centre-back to make a mistake this season, and to be fair to Colwill, most defenders would struggle with the strength of Brobbey. Enzo Le Fee netted the resulting penalty.
Wesley Fofana endured a dismal week after conceding and missing a penalty against Liverpool, before almost gifting Man United two goals. Maxence Lacroix has done little to prove he was worth £52m.
January cannot come soon enough for Chelsea. Not only for better options, but for strength in depth. Reports have linked them with Antonio Rudiger, while they could recall a current option from a loan.
Ultimately, Chelsea have added experience in goal, in midfield, and up top with Emi Martinez, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck. They didn’t get a centre-back, and now they’re struggling in that role.
Joao Pedro of Chelsea
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