Is N'Golo Kanté's long search for form over at the perfect time for Chelsea?
Midfielder appeared to be past his best when Tuchel arrived but he was at his most disciplined and effective again at Anfield
The nadir for N’Golo Kanté came when he found himself desperately chasing Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling moments after giving possession to Kevin De Bruyne. Coming a week after a poor performance from Kanté when Chelsea collapsed against Arsenal on Boxing Day, it was not a dignified look. The midfielder’s error exposed Chelsea on the break and although the Frenchman did his best to delay Sterling, he was powerless to stop the counterattack ending with De Bruyne making it 3-0 to City, laying bare Chelsea’s chaotic defending under Frank Lampard.
Kanté was struggling with every aspect of his game. He looked worn down after expending all that energy on winning major honours for club and country since 2016. Time seemed to have caught up with Kanté, who had struggled with little niggles ever since playing through the pain of a knee injury when Chelsea beat Arsenal in the Europa League final in 2019.