Sometimes that's certainly true, but I wouldn't say 'majority' of times. It's something he obviously does deliberately, giving opposition wingers just enough space that they think they can get past him and then he just somehow manages to stick the leg in to knock the ball away anyway. He knows he's unbelievably good at it so he entices the opposition to do it.
Personally, I think his 1v1 defending has actually declined slightly over the years, as has his ability to block crosses. He used to be probably the best I'd ever seen in both aspects in his first season or two here. While he's still very very good (probably the best in the league), I feel he's not quite as good as he once was. Especially on blocking crosses. On the flip side, he has improved his aerial ability and at defending the back post. He's still not good at them but it's no longer the huge glaring weakness that it once was.