What the stats don't show about Kante

N’Golo Kante

N’Golo Kante

Published Mar 8, 2017

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Chelsea coach Antonio Conte welcomed the pressure other clubs are trying to maintain on his runaway Premier League leaders and said he expected a battle until the season is over.

 “I think this league it will be very tough until the end,” Conte said after Chelsea’s 2-1 win at West Ham United on Monday restored a 10-point lead at the top.

The victory left Chelsea with a commanding advantage over second-placed Tottenham Hotspur with 11 games to go.

“I listen (to) the other coaches on the other teams and they trust (their players) to win and it is right to have this ambition,” Conte said. “It is important for us to know that they have this ambition, to keep this hunger, this will to fight.”

Goals either side of halftime by Eden Hazard and Diego Costa ensured Chelsea took all three points from the London derby but Conte was frustrated about West Ham’s late consolation goal.

The Italian also said he wanted his attacking players to be more clinical in front of goal.

Chelsea’s strong run of wins stands in a stark contrast with last season’s dismal performances when they finished in mid-table and lost the most successful manager in the west London club’s history, Jose Mourinho, along the way.

With no European competition this season, Chelsea have focused solely on their domestic ambitions and Conte said winning the FA Cup was another target for this year.

Chelsea’s next match is in the knockout competition at home to Manchester United, managed by Mourinho, on March 13. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said a shock slip-up was possible but he believed Chelsea were well on the way to winning the league title again.

“They are not going to become casual. They look very serious,” he said. “I can see them staying on top.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante has scored just once this season and his name rarely hits the headlines but without the indefatigable midfielder it is unlikely they would be so dominant in the League this season.

In his first campaign in England, Kante helped steer Leicester City to one of the most improbable title triumphs in the history of European

soccer in 2016.

After signing for Chelsea in the close season, he is on course do it again and win a second champions’ medal in May. It was a typically low-key intervention by the Frenchman that got Chelsea on their way at West Ham United.

Nearly half an hour into the London derby, Kante reacted with typical quickness to intercept a ball deep in his own half and push it into the path of Hazard.

A few seconds later, after an exchange of passes with Pedro, Hazard was rounding keeper Darren Randolph to put Chelsea ahead.

Soon afterwards, Kante drew an audible gasp from the West Ham fans when the ball seemed to be rolling out for goal kick only for the Frenchman to speed past ball-watching defenders, deftly control the ball on the line and flick it back into the box to create another chance for the visitors.

The statistics show that Kante wins two of every three tackles he attempts. What they do not show is his ability to second-guess his opponents, claim the ball with ease and set his Chelsea teammates up with simple and accurate

passing.

Born in Paris, Kante played for amateur side Suresnes until he was 19 when he moved north to join Boulogne. He was spotted by second-tier Caen, moved to the Normandy club and helped them earn promotion to Ligue 1.

Many commentators attribute the struggles of Leicester this season to the loss of the diminutive midfielder.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte joked with reporters that he was finding it hard to find any areas for improvement in Kante.

“He made 50 passes and he made five mistakes. He has to improve in this,” Conte said. “I am joking. I have to find one situation to tell him to improve. But... he is a really good player and he has great stamina.

It is not just at Stamford Bridge that admiration for Kante is so high. “If you were to buy any player in the Premier League at the moment, I think it would be N’Golo Kante,” former Manchester United defender Phil Neville said.

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