Chelsea’s and Leicester’s form make the case for N’Golo Kante to be player of the year
Leicester City’s and Chelsea’s reversals of fortune over the last year reinforce the case for N’Golo Kante to be the PFA Player of the Year.
Last season’s Premier League champions have fallen so far from grace that relegation is a real possibility. Leicester City’s underperforming stars purportedly played a key role in Claudio Ranieri’s exit. However, that does not explain the basic question of how things went so wrong. It is only a slight simplification to say: N’Golo Kante is no longer there.
Kante left after last year’s miraculous run, perhaps foreseeing the disaster that was about to occur. He linked up with Antonio Conte at Chelsea. Conte’s focus on hard work and high-intensity pressure made him an ideal leader for Kante’s talent.
For Kante, he was joining a club which could offer him consecutive and sustained chances at success on both the domestic and European level. For Conte, he was receiving a player who would run the whole 90 minutes and more.
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N’Golo Kante did not need long to settle in at Stamford Bridge. After a solid start to his Chelsea career in August, a rare dip in form in September contributed to three winless league games. The change in formation and system, however, reinvigorated Kante. That, of course, led to an even better Chelsea.
For a player who stands just 5’5”, his ability to dominate and control games is beyond impressive. Players such as Paul Pogba, Mesut Ozil and, most recently, Gylfi Sigurdsson have had to deal with Kante limiting their creativity and impact on games. These creative individuals normally enjoy time on the ball to pick out their passes. But the energetic Kante rarely affords them that luxury.
Kante has averaged 3.6 tackles, 2.4 interceptions and holds a passing percentage of almost 90% this season, according to WhoScored. In the 1-1 draw at Anfield in January, the Frenchman made a whopping 14 tackles. That was just one fewer than the whole of the opposition.
The Frenchman is continuing the dominance he exhibited since arriving in the Premier League. Kante has amassed more tackles in his 1.5 seasons in the Premier League than any other player has over the previous three seasons. That fact alone is a testament to how well Kante has adapted to the Premier League’s style of play.
Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez have all been mooted as potential Player of the Year winners. Even Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a prime contender to take home the award, despite his impressive contributions only leading his team to sixth in the table. Zlatan is not at fault for his teammates failing to match his production.
Considering that the Chelsea trio most likely to be named finalists for the award have led their side to the top of the league, it is hard to justify Ibrahimovic taking home the trophy.
N’Golo Kante was the one top Fox who did not claim a player of the year award last year. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy both won Player of the Year awards, from the PFA and FWA respectively. Kante is most likely used to the flashier marquee players receiving more attention. But with Leicester’s struggles and Chelsea’s success, his true impact on a team has never been more obvious.
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Costa’s goals, Hazard’s trickery and Sanchez’s skulls have made them far trendier picks for Player of the Year. However, N’Golo Kante’s ability at winning the ball back and limiting the opponent’s opportunities make him a more valuable player. Just ask Leicester.