N’Golo Kante is chasing his second consecutive Premier League title. As any opposition forward will attest, once he is in pursuit he will get what he wants.
Even the best footballers have off days where they are step behind, a second late or a bit leaden-legged. Well, most of the best footballers. N’Golo Kante has a seemingly bottomless reserve of energy. Not only does he not fatigue over the course of a game (in fact, in many matches he gets more relentless as full-time approaches) but he shows few signs of weariness from the build-up of the season.
Only Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill have more Premier League minutes than Kante among Chelsea’s outfield players. Kante, though, covers significantly more territory than either centre-back. Maybe even more than both combined.
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Kante’s heat maps for the game take up most of the pitch. As he showed against Liverpool, he can tackle the same player twice in quick succession to turn the play in Chelsea’s favour without missing a beat.
Kante explained how what he does outside of training, as well as his mental approach to the game, form the foundation of his work rate. “[T]his is football. We play often, we sometimes have three games a week, and you have to manage your fitness well,” he told Chelsea’s website.
"I just try to work on my ‘invisible training’, as we call it in French – things away from the pitch and the training ground. I try to sleep very well, to eat very well and to do the best for my health and my body. – Chelsea FC"
A recurring thread in the Premier League this season has been how the influx of new managers have overhauled their clubs’ and players’ nutrition. Chelsea somehow skipped their place in this puff piece cycle, likely because they were not title favorites until after the 13-game win streak.
N’Golo Kante’s “invisible training” is evidence that whatever habits he brought from Leicester and France, and whatever Antonio Conte implemented at Chelsea, are far more effective than Pep Guardiola’s much-heralded ban on pizza. Kante focuses on nutrition and recovery because those are elements he can control.
"I don’t think about other things, the crowd, the referee, the other players. I am just focused on what I have to do. There are some who don’t get the chance to play and I know that."
N’Golo Kante’s focus is on display in every game, along with the results of his “invisible training.” He is a Blue blur as he whizzes around the pitch. Opposition players are constantly aware of his presence, even if they do not know he is on their tail until it is too late.
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At 1.7 meters and 68 kilograms, N’Golo Kante is one of the most-feared players in the league. As he closes in on a second title he is writing himself into Premier League lore as well as the history books.