Chelsea manager Frank Lampard blasted for N’Golo Kante experiment by Darren Bent
Former Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent has blasted Frank Lampard for experimenting with N’Golo Kante at Chelsea.
The Blues have recently fielded a midfield diamond with Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic and Kante recently. It was evident in our 2-0 loss against Brentford at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
For the past couple of games, Kante has been playing very high up the pitch – almost as an attacking midfielder. A midfield diamond, coupled with a back five, has left no real room for attacking players to start the game.
Noni Madueke and Mykhaylo Mudryk have particularly suffered while Raheem Sterling started as a striker against the Bees. From top to bottom, it has been odd to see this.
Time to revert to basics
A team struggling to score goals is fielding a team with nine outfield players who can defend. Taking a dig at Lampard’s idea to play Kante in a very advanced role, Bent told TalkSPORT:
“To play him up front. [N’Golo] Kante’s biggest strength is in winning back the ball and the engine that he’s got – playing it simple. Not scoring goals…”
One can’t deny that the former Leicester City midfielder has been among the goals in recent seasons and has been seen making decisive runs into the box to help his team in the final third. He has that in his locker.
He is a smart dribbler and his low centre of gravity makes it tough for opponents to get a hold of him. But he is more suited in a box-to-box role where his major contributions come off the ball. It is time to call off this experiment.
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If he plays as a defensive midfielder and makes runs into the box, it could be more effective as the defenders won’t be ready for it most of the time. If he is played as a specialist No. 10, he will be marked more heavily and tracked way better by opponent defenders.