Joey Barton raises interesting criticism of Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante
The often outspoken Joey Barton has ruffled a few more feathers by rounding on Chelsea midfielder, N’Golo Kante, for criticism.
N’Golo Kante is having another fantastic season in the Premier League. After driving Leicester City to an unlikely title triumph last season, he is replicating his form with Chelsea this time out. However, not everyone is a Kante fanatic. Joey Barton has been criticising the midfielder recently.
Barton, the perennial pantomime villain, took to French media to claim that Kante is overrated.
"For pundits, he’s the best midfielder in the world. Oh! He’s very good, but I played against him three weeks ago, and that’s not the case…It’s impossible to be so definitive with a player who hasn’t played a game in the Champions League. – Evening Standard"
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While Barton has a reputation for being slightly unhinged, he raises an interesting point. Kante has been phenomenal in the Premier League. However, anyone not looking through the glasses of national pride will realise that England’s top flight is not high on quality.
The league is certainly competitive, but that is because the poorer teams are good and the top teams are well behind their European counterparts. Will N’Golo Kante be as effective when coming up against superior clubs like Bayern Munich, or even Atletico Madrid?
He may well be, but Barton is right. It is hard to proclaim a player to be one of the world’s finest before he tests himself against the game’s finest. Simply put, the Premier League is not home to any of football’s best teams.
Furthermore, will Kante be able to maintain his form through an extended season? The weight of the added games take their toll, no matter how physically fit you are. At both Leicester and Chelsea, Kante has been largely playing one game each week.
When the Frenchman is forced to do what he does three times in six or seven days, cracks may start to appear. Admittedly, his style of play is not as exhaustive as meets the eye. While Kante seems to be everywhere, his reading of the game and positional sense is what he relies on. Hence, the extent of his running is not as severe.
Nevertheless, the higher quality of opposition will more than compensate for that. While he has consistently shut down the star man in Premier League clubs, he won’t be able to mitigate the threat from the several star men that appear on European teams.
In England, shutting down Alexis Sanchez and or Sergio Aguero is sufficient to get a win. Against Barcelona and Bayern Munich, shutting down one star player just gives an opportunity for his teammates to steal the spotlight.
What do you think? How successful will Kante be in the Champions League next season? Is his style of play sustainable? Let us know in the comments below!