Jamie Carragher has criticised Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix, saying the £52m summer signing 'does not look comfortable' in Xabi Alonso's system and looks 'very average' so far this season.
Lacroix's struggles in Alonso's system
Lacroix has played in all eight Premier League matches since joining from Crystal Palace. He has mostly operated in the centre of a back five but has been asked to play as a right centre-back when Alonso switches to a four-at-the-back formation.
Against Tottenham last weekend, Lacroix was asked to play both roles as Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to their local rivals.
Carragher's verdict
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate with Sky Bet, the former Liverpool defender suggested he has not been convinced by Lacroix since his move to Stamford Bridge.
'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,' Carragher said.
'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.
'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.
'There's still not got that somebody you build your defence around or who can hold it all together. It just looks very average.'
Looking ahead to Liverpool clash
Chelsea face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and Lacroix said he and his teammates are relishing the 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.'
