Mateo Kovacic said there are plenty of players who are proficient at tackling at Chelsea but claims two particular teammates are the best of the bunch.
From the younger talents such as Reece James to experienced Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva, Chelsea have been blessed with some top defenders, haven’t they?
Kovacic, who said that he is relieved not having to play against these players in a competitive match, still has to face them in training sessions.
And if anyone can tell who is the best at tackling at Chelsea, it would be Kovacic whose is arguably one of the best dribblers in the Premier League.
“At Chelsea, we have a few strong guys,” the Croatia international told Chelsea Mike’d Up podcast.
“Rudiger is a quite strong guy, [and] obviously N’Golo Kante, when he comes to you, it’s not quite easy.
“There are a few players that are great at tackling, but in our team, I think it’s Rudiger and N’Golo.”
Kovacic on his lack of goals
The 26-year-old is still without a goal this season and has only two goals in all competitions since joining the club almost three years ago.
When he first arrived at Chelsea, he even had to wait for a few months before scoring his first goal, in the 2-2 draw with Valencia in a Champions League group match in 2019.
“Obviously, [at that time] I was waiting to score my first goal for Chelsea, so it was obviously a relief for me,” he admitted.
“Because everybody [was] criticising me for that in my game, that I don’t score a lot.
“But I never look at myself [and think about] just scoring. Obviously, I want to score, but it’s not the main thing, it’s not what I’m best at.
“I just try to do the best for my team.”
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