Chelsea had to settle for one point when they hosted Leicester City in the 37th week of the Premier League match which took place at Stamford Bridge, Friday (20/5) WIB.
Thomas Tuchel rotated a bit in this match, the absence of Mateo Kovacic saw him use N’golo Kante and Jorginho as defensive midfielders, both assisted by Marcos Alonso and Reece James at full-back.
Kante’s return to starting XI was welcomed by Tuchel, the German coach also emphasized that the player is still an important part of the Chelsea squad even though this season he has been sidelined quite often due to injury.
Tuchel spoke heavily about Kante and only having him for ‘40% of matches’: “He is our Mo Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Virgil van Dijk… without him, it is a miracle we finish top four.” #CFC #CHELEI
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) May 19, 2022
“I think he (N’golo Kante) is a key player in the team, but key players have to be on the pitch. This season he has only played 40 per cent of all matches,” Tuchel said as quoted by the Daily Mail. the club’s official website.
“Maybe Chelsea’s success in securing third place is also due to Kante, because he is Mo Salah, Van Dijk or Kevin de Bruyne for us. Kante is a player who can always make the difference, so if you can only play him in 40 per cent of the game, that’s clear. It’s a big problem,” he added.
As additional information, Kante’s contract at Stamford Bridge will expire in 2023, after the club was officially acquired by the Boehly-Wyss consortium, extending Kante’s tenure is also one of the club’s top priorities.
