Chelsea can’t beat Manchester City without Kante: Neil Humphreys
Midfielder's early exit against Leicester is worrying with the Champions League final looming
Chelsea wouldn't be in the Champions League final without N'Golo Kante. And they certainly won't win the trophy without him.
His early withdrawal against Leicester City yesterday morning (Singapore time) will concern manager Thomas Tuchel more than last Sunday's FA Cup final loss.
The Blues' limitations are exposed without their talismanic Frenchman, underlying his unique influence on not only his club, but also the season itself.
Kante has dominated a strange campaign in the way he typically dominates matches - unassuming but authoritative. With little fanfare, he's been among the most pivotal performers in the English Premier League.
Tuchel has garnered the lion's share of the plaudits for Chelsea's dramatic reversal of fortunes since he succeeded Frank Lampard, but the German also recognises the serendipity.
His arrival coincided with Kante's renaissance. Admittedly, Tuchel played a crucial role in shepherding the midfielder back to prominence, showing patience when Kante laboured with injuries.
But Tuchel knows where the praise really belongs - in central midfield, in front of the back four, in the double pivot that turns into a deadbolt and in the spaces between wing-backs. In other words, the ground that one indefatigable man covers like no other.
Kante's recovery stopped Chelsea from turning into a lost cause and, though they prevailed after he limped off in the 2-1 win over Leicester, defeating Manchester City in the Champions League final is a different proposition altogether.
Chelsea's progress is intrinsically tied to that of their effervescent midfielder.
It's almost forgotten now, but Kante was close to being written off during Lampard's tenure.
Form and fitness had deserted him. Too many years of successfully chasing titles at Leicester, Chelsea and France had run down the body clock.
As his 30th birthday approached in March, Kante's best days seemed to be behind him. His playing time was restricted and he was still struggling with a hamstring problem when Tuchel arrived.
ADMIRATION
But the new manager admired the humble Frenchman. He name-checked him as a reason for taking the Chelsea job, which wasn't an empty platitude. The German had earlier tried to take Kante to Paris Saint-Germain.
Once he had him at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel patiently coaxed the key component of his cautious system back to full fitness. He used Kante to address the defensive frailties and goalscoring woes that Lampard had previously lamented.
In other words, Chelsea scored less, conceded less, but won more games. The Blues were reshaped around Kante.
It's now 13 games since they shipped more than one goal. Conversely, their last 11 games produced only 11 Chelsea goals.
Those two statistics say so much about the Blues' muddled state of affairs. By Tuchel's own admission, they still lack a clear direction and structure. Everything feels a little "cut and paste" as their manager works on a long-term template.
But Kante just about held the disjointed team together. Against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, he ran around Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric like a tireless puppy until they were left dizzy.
Tuchel has sought to cover Chelsea's squad deficiencies on a whiteboard. Kante takes care of the rest on the pitch, particularly those nagging glitches in attack.
Up front, Chelsea's riches remain a bit of an embarrassment.
Timo Werner had a couple of goals disallowed against Leicester and was industrious until his inevitable substitution, but it's reasonable to wonder if a £47 million (S$88.7m) striker should do more than run around a lot.
Ordinarily, a team who produce just 11 goals in 11 games don't typically feature in an FA Cup final, a Champions League final and the EPL's top three. But there's nothing ordinary about Kante. He minds the gaps.
When he felt a tweak after 32 minutes against Leicester, he wisely withdrew. Tuchel insisted that the substitution was a precautionary measure and was confident that Kante would recover to face Aston Villa on Sunday.
If there's any doubt, then Mateo Kovacic should deputise once more and allow Kante to keep his eye on the real prize.
Tuchel has dragged a frayed, patched-up squad into the Champions League final without it falling apart and deserves tremendous credit. But if he wants to smother Manchester City, he'll need his favourite security blanket.
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