Chelsea: Jorginho, Kovacic resembling the greats, and other lessons learned
By Nate Hofmann
3. Mateo Kovacic is looking Kante-y
Everyone, be they Chelsea fans or otherwise, wants to see N’Golo Kante healthy and playing football again. He’s a special player and a lovable icon, and Chelsea are inarguably better with him on the field.
In the meantime, however, Mateo Kovacic is playing the Kante role increasingly well. After a season-plus at the club and now bedded in as a permanent member of the squad, Kovacic had his best performance as a Blue against Watford. He excelled in every aspect of the game, with his ability to carry the ball forward through the midfield proving especially useful. He even managed a shot on target!
And that’s to say nothing of his defensive work. The measurable stats against Watford – three tackles, an interception and a clearance – don’t do his performance justice.
His ability to hassle and harry the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Roberto Pereyra helped hold Watford at bay for most of the match. The relationship he has formed with Jorginho in midfield is one of the key improvements behind Chelsea’s current run of good form.
It’s to Kovacic’s immense credit that you could imagine every one of the statements above applying to N’Golo Kante. Last season, it was easy to compare the two players in terms of physique, position and general skillset, but Kante was without a doubt the superior player. While most people would probably still pick a healthy Kante in favor of Kovacic, the Croatian is slowly closing that gap.
Related Story. Antonio Rudiger will have a proper incremental return to the XI. light
Perhaps the most important thing about Kovacic’s development is that Frank Lampard shouldn’t feel any pressure to bring back Kante before he’s absolutely, unquestionably 100% fit. There have already been a few issues this season with players reinjuring themselves after coming back too soon, and Chelsea can’t afford any more absences with the busy holiday season ahead.
In the same way that the performances of Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma have taken the pressure off of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, Kovacic’s excellent play is improving the fortunes of Chelsea both on the field and in the physio room.