Overall, it’s been a strong start to the season from Chelsea as several new signings bed into the group and they look to be more competitive during Frank Lampard’s second year in charge as manager.
The Blues are fifth in the Premier League table just three points off the summit and are also unbeaten in the Champions League group stages so far, albeit they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup fourth round on penalties by Tottenham.
There has been widespread praise in defence for standout performers such as Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Meanwhile, Lampard’s side are looking a potent attacking threat full of serious dangers and the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham are getting credit.
But one man possibly going under the radar is N’Golo Kante, who has been an unsung hero in the season so far.
Kante was a £30million (BBC) signing from Leicester City back in 2016 that won the Premier League during his first year with Chelsea and has been a world-class talent during his time at Stamford Bridge.
But the central midfielder saw last season disrupted by a spate of injury problems, meaning he only played 28 games across all competitions and it even left some questioning his future.
The 29-year-old has returned to full fitness this season and been absent from just one fixture so far, which shows how highly the manager values him.
It’s too early to say that the France World Cup winner is back to his formidable best, but there are plenty of signs that he’s beginning to thrive again in a defensive midfield role where he breaks up play and starts attacks for his side.
Chelsea tend to play well when they’ve got all-action midfielder Kante at his best and he’s very much the individual that takes the pressure off others offensively and defensively.