Chelsea into the depths part four: A healthy heart in midfield
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea desperately needed a fourth midfielder. Last season, even with Billy Gilmour available, Thomas Tuchel strongly favored the trio of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic. Over a half season, that just about worked. But three midfielders for two starting positions is by no means sustainable, even if others can fill in. The signing of Saul Niguez has filled in the missing piece and with just his loan, the Blues have gone from thin to deep. What does the overall depth in the position look like now?
1. N’Golo Kante
Before anyone gets upset, the depth for midfield really starts out 1A and 1B. For Kante to be number one, it is mainly a question of fitness. When fit, he’s going to start almost no matter what. This role of being able to press, carry, and sweep in and around the press is what he was made for.
Those injuries, however, are really the only thing that can potentially hold Kante back. Though they got better last season, he is still spending more time on the treatment table than he used to. He’s having to be carefully managed for minutes and physical overloads and that’s only going to get worse with time given his play style. The fate of contracts in the defense is taking much of the limelight, but Chelsea might be getting to a point where a team coming in for Kante might be tempting. That’s a scary thought, especially with his injuries being minor for the most part, but that consideration comes in every player’s career as “the cliff” approaches.