France boss Didier Deschamps believes N’Golo Kante is capable of playing further forward at Chelsea and insists the midfielder is still ‘having fun’ under Maurizio Sarri. Kante, 27, was regarded as the finest defensive midfielder in England after winning back-to-back Premier League titles with Leicester and Chelsea, but Sarri prefers the Frenchman in a more advanced position.
While the decision was initially deemed controversial, Jorginho’s magnificent start at the base of midfield – helping accelerate Chelsea’s transition to ‘Sarri-ball’ – has put an end to the debate.
Kante excelled as France’s deepest midfielder at the World Cup in the summer, but Deschamps has no problems with Sarri changing his position at Stamford Bridge.
Asked about Kante’s new role at Chelsea since Antonio Conte’s departure, Deschamps replied:
‘He is able [to play higher up the pitch]. He can also play deeper where he is very useful and very powerful. ‘At Chelsea he’s in more of a creative role.
With what his coach asks him, and his system, he is brought to play very high.
‘He has more freedom. He is very comfortable with the ball, so it doesn’t cause him any problems.
He’s always having fun. ‘Kante also takes it by playing deeper, but he is now in the offensive part, but he still has the quality of cutting out passes and recovering balls. ‘He is a little more involved in attacks, in the last third or the penultimate pass. This is less frequent when he’s playing in front of the defence.’
Asked about his new position under Sarri earlier this season, Kante said: ‘I am enjoying the role. It is a new challenge for me. ‘I try to understand the move and the right players’ combinations. ‘I think we are doing well. We need to keep working and keep improving and I think we can enjoy a good season together.’ Sarri frustrated after Chelsea held by Everton Play Video Loaded: 0% 0:00Progress: 0% PlayMute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 7:56 Fullscreen