Chelsea without its saviour: the Blues need N’Golo Kante desperately

In early May of last season, Tuchel expressed his thoughts on what Kante means to the club as a whole, stating, “I think he is our key, key player but key, key players have to be on the pitch and he only plays 40% of games…He is our Mo Salah, he is our van Dijk, he is our De Bruyne. He is simply that player, he is our Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.”

With a player that is not as mobile in the middle of the pitch like Jorginho, the Blues need Kante to complement the attributes that the Italian brought to CFC during its Champions League Final run. Even with creative players on the ball like Mateo Kovacic, and Conor Gallagher at its disposal, there is not a single player on the planet that can match what Kante brings when he is 100 percent healthy in the middle of the park.

Mason Mount was the only player that had more goal-creating actions than Kante last season in all competitions. By far the most impressive statistic that highlights his importance is the fact that he finished the season with 12 live-ball passes that led to a goal which was the most on Chelsea, and tied for the sixth most in the entire Premier League. Kante also finished the season with the sixth most shot-creating actions in the English top-flight, and with the number of chances coming at a premium, it is clear what the Blues need to begin to turn the rollercoaster start into more of a consistent one.