Joe Cole claims Mykhailo Mudryk deserves blame for his role in Chelsea’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
The Blues lost 1-0 at the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night, through a sublime goal from Karim Adeyemi.
The winning goal came from a Chelsea corner which was cleared to Adeyemi on the edge of the box and they could not stop the 21-year-old who blitzed past Enzo Fernandez and rounded Kepa Arrizabalaga to put the ball in the back of the net.
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While nothing should be taken away from the quality of Adeyemi’s goal, the defending from Chelsea came under huge criticism, and while Fernandez took some of that brunt, Cole believes another player is at fault.
Mudryk was the closest man to the Dortmund star but failed to close his opponent down allowing Adeyemi to run the entire length of the pitch unopposed.
‘There needs to be a bit of blame on Mudryk,’ Chelsea icon Cole said on BT Sport.
‘When you are an attacking player, you are thinking to yourself, “right, I can score a goal here if the ball drops [on the edge of the area]”.
‘As soon as you realise that the ball [has been cleared], right, switch on defensively. He just lets [Adeyemi] run off him.
‘I feel like quick players can lose concentration because they feel that their pace can get them away with it.’
Graham Potter was equally frustrated with the goal. ‘It’s a poor goal and we have to do better,’ the manager said in his post-match press conference.
‘We were pushing at the time and were the better team. So to concede in that manner is what we’re disappointed with.
‘The players are honest and they know they can do better with that. We have to help them, of course, but we will focus on the positives.’
