Chelsea: N’Golo Kante continues in his role of dominant Champion

Chelsea’s super defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante was named Player of the Match in the UEFA Champions League Final which is no surprise. Kante was stupendous in the win, as he usually is anytime he’s on the pitch and fit.

Kante’s amazing ability to transform play in the middle of the pitch is no surprise to any fan of Chelsea or Leicester City for that matter. The diminutive, quiet, unassuming, humble, and totally loved and respected (add whatever other superlatives that may come to mind) player by virtually everyone, was a force in the monstrous win against Manchester City. And this space is providing some additional praise where it’s due to Kante. He’s simply amazing. He’s a terrific asset to Chelsea and he remains an undeniable force in the midfield and if this is actually possible, with experience, when he is fit, he seems to be becoming an even better player. That may actually be happening as his performance in the Champions League final attests.

There’s was idle in the past year or so about whether it was time to cut ties with Kante due to his susceptibility to injuries as he approached and has now passed his 30th birthday. Fortunately, Chelsea chose to manage the situation with Kante as he ages and not to send him off to another side where he can be a constant torment to them as have other players who have left and excelled. Both managers this last season, Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel, to their credit, appreciated the value that Kante brings to the entire side and didn’t allow his injury issues to alter their thought process on Kante. Thankfully, Chelsea’s board, managers or whoever made that the correct decision and allowed Kante to continue his Chelsea career should be lauded. The result if he is fit, of course, usually results in cup wins, aka championships.

Kante at age 30 continues to demonstrate a pace that is hard to comprehend or even grasp. Players have diminished pace when they age, especially when they have “miles on their legs” as a player like Kante would have to have. Yet, in his case, his pace seems equal or maybe even superior to previously and it was on full display in the Champions League final against City. Kante at times looked to be what we in the USA would call, “shot out of a cannon”. It was almost shocking to behold how quick he was to the ball.

Givemesport characterized his performance this way,

"While Havertz was the match winner, the best player on the pitch was undoubtedly N’Golo Kante.The Frenchman was absolutely colossal throughout the 90 minutes in Portugal.Man City struggled to create any real golden opportunities at the Estadio do Dragao and that was mainly due to the presence of Kante in midfield.While protecting the Chelsea backline admirably, he was also a force going forward."

That was well said. N’Golo Kante is an anomaly among super football players in the world. He’s a dynamo in a small frame in a league among huge players who also possess tremendous talent. Yet, Kante continues, year-after-year to excel. If managed correctly, and that may mean Chelsea’s bringing Declan Rice, or another equally talented defensive midfielder into the side in this transfer window, could mean he could continue to excel for more than just a  year or two. That fact mitigates toward acquiring a talent like Rice to play alongside or fill in when the French World Cup winner needs a break. Hopefully, Chelsea will take that step.

With Rice and Kante together in the midfield, great things can happen. Whatever eventuates, Kante, if his minutes are properly managed will continue to be a bulwark of Chelsea’s championship-winning defensive midfield for years to come. As they say, glad he’s on our side! We’re on to 2021/22!