Chelsea: N’Golo Kante has already outgrown central defensive midfield

Chelsea are quite spoiled for having N’Golo Kante for a bit over two years. After only four games under Maurizio Sarri, they are even more spoiled from having him as a box-to-box midfielder.

France opened the UEFA Nations League with 10 of their 11 starters from the World Cup in the same 4-2-3-1. Since less than two months have passed since the World Cup, Les Bleus quickly resumed their rhythm, minus the intensity that separates the World Cup from anything else, let alone the Nations League. Everyone knew where to be, what to do and when to do it.

N’Golo Kante looked a bit downcast in his usual role for his country, now that it is his former role for his club. As the play opened up in front of him, he looked longingly at the open spaces and dribbling lanes. Back at Chelsea, as Maurizio Sarri’s new box-to-box midfielder, he can move freely through those spaces, run at the defence and continue into the penalty area. Having had a taste, he now has an appetite. But with France’s four forwards ahead of him, Paul Pogba out to the side and his old stack of responsibilities, Kante had to stay back, pass the ball upfield and watch everyone else have his fun.

Kante made his reputation at Leicester City and Chelsea as the indefatigable and inescapable central defensive midfielder. He covered more ground than players who had the run of the entire pitch, despite rarely venturing ahead of his fellow midfielders.

In Sarrismo, Kante can finally make the entire pitch his own. He can dribble the ball into the forwards’ territory, look to play quick passes with the wingers or the striker and follow the play wherever it may lead him. He has plenty of opportunities to shoot (even if he is still reluctant to do so) and to involve himself as much on offence as he normally does on defence. Chelsea’s overwhelming possession in and around the final third keeps Kante well-occupied in this role. He would be quite bored – not to mention under-utilized – as a traditional central defensive midfielder in Chelsea’s recent games.

The contrast between old and new Kante, France and Chelsea Kante, is the difference between the full extent of his talents and the limited role he is used to playing. This is not a knock against Didier Deschamps. Not yet, at least.

Just as no one expected Leicester City’s signing from Caen four years ago would become a World Cup and two-time Premier League champion, not many would have expected N’Golo Kante to have some Frank Lampard to go with his Claude Makelele.

Before the season started Kante’s precise role under Maurizio Sarri was a slightly open question. Everyone knew Jorginho would play his usual deep role, which carries some defensive duties with it. Jorginho and Kante would be an awkward pairing if their usual positions were superimposed onto the same XI. Yet Kante had not shown too much of the necessary skills going forward to be a standard part of Sarrismo. He is far too good of a player for anyone to consider Sarri excluding him, but how Sarri would use him seemed to require more flexibility than Sarri normally indulges.

As it turns out, one of these premises was woefully deficient. Kante has all the necessary ball skills, recognition of the play and movement with and without the ball to be a Sarrismo box-to-box midfielder. His speed now propels him in a different direction, tasked to different responsibilities, but with the same ol’ Kante in work rate and opponent harassment.

The onus now shifts to Didier Deschamps to develop ways to integrate N’Golo Kante’s newfound forward-searching skills into the French side. Deschamps led France to the World Cup title by finding the right methods, tactics, balance and compromises for his squad of uber-talented individuals to play as a team. He had Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and the rest playing with a single purpose, without any discontent or overbearing egos. Kante would never let discontent interfere with his play or his commitment, and if anything his ego is under-bearing. His play is the only thing that speaks for him, and Deschamps must be receptive.

France already have four strong forwards leading their 4-2-3-1 and one of the most creative midfielders in the world in Paul Pogba. They don’t need an extra player thrusting forward on the attack. They do need balance in midfield for Pogba and the extra coverage in front of their centre-backs. Kante has an essential role in the system.

Therefore, Deschamps should look at how to change the system. Keeping Kante as a central defensive midfielder shortchanges the team of the rest of what Kante can do. It stifles this new dimension of Kante’s game. France have such an abundance of talent that they could get less than 100% from their players and still be among the best in the world. But that will not win trophies nor will it be satisfying football to know they could be doing even more. What Sarri started Deschamps can continue by figuring out how to merge both sides of Kante’s game into the world’s most complete midfielder.

If Deschamps concludes he must keep Kante in his traditional role, Kante will do the job and do it impeccably. France is doubly lucky that they have Kante for central defensive midfield and that he is disciplined and professional enough to resist the urge to spring forward into open space and attack.

Chelsea are doubly lucky that they have Kante and a system that allows this new side of his play to flourish. He is the sort of challenge every coach wants to have: how to tap into a player’s seemingly limitless energy and talent.