The Complete Defender: Why Kalidou Koulibaly Is the Perfect Centre-Back for Barcelona

When a club is as historically successful as Barcelona, even one poor result seems to be the beginning of a crisis. Fans have already suggested that the club is in a challenging period, with many questions being asked of their defenders.

The club have kept just three clean sheets in La Liga this season. Ahead of Sunday's 2-0 victory over Villarreal, the Blaugrana had failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 consecutive matches.

31-year-old Gerard Pique has been targeted by many fans who believe the Spaniard needs to be replaced. Clement Lenglet is yet to fully impress, whilst there are doubts around Samuel Umtiti's long-term fitness. Regardless of whether these opinions are true, Barcelona's defensive struggles are clear to see.

Andreas Christensen and Matthijs de Ligt have been linked with the club, but there is just one man who should be targeted - Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.

Whilst the club love seeing a talented youngster blossom into one of the world's elite, fans also demand that new players are able to instantly help the side improve, and Koulibaly would be able to do that without any difficulties

Francesco Pecoraro/GettyImages

When you first look at Koulibaly, you see his obvious elite physicality. He stands at 6'2, he is immensely strong and is also fast enough to match the majority of opposition attackers. To some, this would be enough to make him a superb defender, but this is just a fraction of what makes Koulibaly so unique.

His ability to identify potential threats is incredible. The towering defender has featured in every minute of Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli career, with Koulibaly's leadership and vision clearly important characteristics for Ancelotti. He can identify dangers and has all the physical capabilities to combat any threats.

Francesco Pecoraro/GettyImages

However, Koulibaly also has the technical abilities to make an impact at both ends of the field. With the ball at his feet, the 27-year-old is astonishing. He always wants the ball and is desperate to create goalscoring opportunities from deep. Whether it is a short pass or a cross-field long ball, Koulibaly can do it all.

Barcelona have forged a reputation as a technically superb side, and Koulibaly would fit in seamlessly. He is Napoli's first source of creativity, and it is not hard to see how he could translate those skills to the Camp Nou. He would offer yet another creative option for the club, which would make Barcelona even more frightening than they already are.