#3 Kante’s engine provides stability and balance
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Hazard makes opponents see double through dizzying dribbles. N’Golo Kante does so for different reasons.
It might be tantamount to cliche to suggest that he adds an extra player to their starting XI, but that’s also because it’s as close to the truth as you can get without clipping hyperbole. Kante is the necessary bite, engine and different sort of class that teams vying for UCL glory need.
He makes great passes, he links defence to attack smoothly to allow the more technically astute stars score goals, he gets his tackles in and he makes a nuisance of himself.
More importantly, he works harder than Santa Clause on Christmas eve – except he does it every weekend.
Having a fit Kante will be crucial to their hopes, but considering he has stayed injury free for so long, he doesn’t look prone to getting side-lined which Blues fans will keep their fingers crossed about moving forward.
Having him sit in midfield, moving up and down when necessary will allow Chelsea to pivot quickly, something which will mean a great deal to making opponents pay in the blink of an eye.
It’s no coincidence Madrid and Juventus made it to the final last time out – they had players like Casemiro and Miralem Pjanic dictating the tempo, breaking up play and moving the ball quickly from midfield.
That’s exactly what Kante can do next season, and his availability could be the difference between jubilation and disappointment – as long as he avoids an anonymous performance like the one he had in the FA Cup final.
