Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante: Chelsea’s tale of two midfielders

Chelsea’s victory over Watford showed the complementary roles that Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante play for the club.

Cesc Fabregas came on in the 78th minute. Ten minutes later he did the one thing he needed to do: lay a pin-point long-ball to Diego Costa’s feet.

Fabregas can do things that only a handful of other players can do. The combination of swerve and accuracy on his pass reminded everyone what an asset he is.

His moments of brilliance, though, are exactly that: moments. Fabregas is not a 90-minute, 100m x 70m player. He never has been, but his ability to command the long ball from deep positions in tactical systems that only asked him to do this one thing has made him a star. Place him in a system that demands he tracks back, tackles and regains possession and he’s a fish out of water.

Antonio Conte nodded in the direction of recognizing Fabregas’ limitations and specific role for the club in the post-game press conference.

"I made this substitution because at that moment I wanted more quality and I saw Watford were thinking only to defend their goal. – Chelsea FC"

A middle- or bottom-half of the table opponent was parking the bus and playing out the last 20 minutes for a draw. That is the perfect time to bring on Fabregas to do what he ended up doing.

Change any of the factors that went into that decision and Fabregas remains on the bench. Chelsea is going to need 10 two-way players for 90 minutes against the Manchester clubs, Tottenham or Leicester City.

If Fabregas is content to play off of the bench this season, he could accumulate a series of highlight-reel clutch assists. If Conte plays him in the starting XI, though, he will only draw more questions about his fitness and fit in Conte’s club.

Claudio Ranieri said before the season “[N’Golo Kante] played as two players last season. The referee counted 11 but we were 12.” Ranieri may have undercounted.

Fabregas came on for 15 minutes and made an isolated, instantly memorable play. Kante played for 90 minutes and did nothing discretely remarkable. He just did everything his position demands incredibly well. So well, in fact, that you could just as easily forget he was there or realize that he was everywhere at once.

Kante is a souped-up midfield version of Cesar Azpilicueta. To the untrained eye, not much happens in his domain. In reality, he so thoroughly dominates his position that nothing occurs outside of his control.

Kante anticipated ball movements, dispossessed attackers and popped up a step ahead of Watford’s forwards. N’Golo Kante’s operating area is the entire pitch, save for a few meters along the boundaries.

Nemanja Matic, at his best, is the fulcrum of Chelsea’s formation. N’Golo Kante, on the other hand, becomes the fulcrum of his opposition’s play. He bends their will to his own, forcing them to work around him – only to find that there is no “around him.”

Next: Chelsea edge past Watford: First impressions

Fabregas and Kante nominally play the same position. On the pitch and in the big picture strategy, they could not be more different. Kante showed last season with Leicester City that he is able and willing to shoulder this responsibility during a title run. If Fabregas shows an equal willingness to be a role player rather than a starter, Antonio Conte will have a powerful range of midfield weapons at his disposal.