Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said there is no reason not to allow “special” N’Golo Kante to have a free role on the pitch given what he offers.
The France international has always had the licence to roam in midfield, especially in the last few years.
However, it was mostly when defending; to win the ball early and kill opposition attacks before it even began.
Under Tuchel, Kante is often involved in attack as he showcased in the 2-0 win over Lille in midweek.
As Lille manager Jocelyn Gourvennec admitted after the game, Kante was just too quick for his players despite their trying to foul him.
Obviously, there is always a risk that he may get caught out of position, but Tuchel is clearly confident in the midfielder’s ability to cover the ground.
“I mean, why should we hold him back?” the German told Chelsea TV about Kante’s being given the freedom to play further forward recently.
“He has such a capacity, speed, volume in his game, and work rate
“For me, [there is] no reason to hold him back and not to make him use the whole pitch.
“He’s a key player for us defensively, but also in the support offensively — that makes him very special.”
The key to Kante’s ball-winning prowess is arguably his agility, and it seems to make him an ideal ball carrier as well.
Not to mention that Chelsea are mostly in control of the ball most of the time under Tuchel, so it makes sense to reduce not use Kante defensively, but also offensively.
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