N’Golo Kante is one of the unlikeliest goalscoring outfield players in the Premier League and many discount him as a player who would score even a couple of goals in a season. The stats so far prove those critics may be correct, but with Maurizio Sarri’s fresh offensive tactics set to kick in at Stamford Bridge, that narrative may be set for a review.
The Frenchman scored his first goal of the season in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday, to match his best tally for a season, after scoring one in each of his last three Premier League seasons. Kante’s opener was Sarri’s first goal in his English football career, coming after the coach pushed the former Leicester City ace forward with Jorginho’s arrival.
N'Golo Kanté has scored in each of his four Premier League seasons:
2015/16: 37 games, 1 goal
2016/17: 35 games, 1 goal
2017/18: 34 games, 1 goal
2018/19: 1 game, 1 goalAlready equalled his best single-season tally. 😉 pic.twitter.com/WPvreV8vjW
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 11, 2018
Jorginho is now asked to sit deepest among three midfielders in a 4-3-3 formation at Chelsea. The former Napoli midfielder will now become Chelsea’s midfielder pass master, orchestrating every attacking move. The system frees up Kante who is now tasked at joining the attack and finding himself in dangerous places in the opposition box.
Playing shoulder to shoulder with one of Cesc Fabregas, Mateo Kovacic or Ross Barkley will allow the Premier League to see more of Kante who is currently regarded as one of the best destroyers in the English game.
Perhaps, for the first time in his career, the 2018 World Cup winner will score more than once in a league season.
