N'Golo Kante (appreciation thread)

Bastian

Full Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
18,444
Supports
Mejbri
We've got hopeless transfer threads on him and some very old performance ones.

One of those players you'll always wish you'd have, but not going to happen in this universe.

I read that he instructed his agent to make sure all his earnings were above board and no funny business with offshore tax dodging (like so many other players). Never made a fuss over moving from Chelsea even though he'd likely have the pick of all the clubs on the planet if he chose to move. Such an unassuming character. And an absolutely world class player.

Can't help but to love this player.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
11,420
Location
Manchester
He works his arse off, has stamina for days & is exceptional defensively. He's technically shit on the ball though.
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,033
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
Excellent player.

All that nonsense last season from pundits about how he was "being played out of position" really got to me for reasons still unknown
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
32,621
I have this feeling he was better in that season with Leicester. He was absolutely dominating oppo midfields in 15/16.
 

Harry190

Bobby ten Hag
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
7,603
Location
Canada
I have this feeling he was better in that season with Leicester. He was absolutely dominating oppo midfields in 15/16.
They gave the beautiful little bastard more responsibility at Leicester and he willingly obliged. Should have been a Manchester United player. Absolutely should have been. He works for any team in the world.
 

Pyro19

Full Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2014
Messages
632
Similar to what Scholes was for us.

He's world class at what he does and goes about his business without any fuss and no off the field drama. He's going to go down as one of the all time greats in the premier league.
 

BobbyManc

Full Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2012
Messages
7,750
Location
The Wall
Supports
Man City
Excellent player.

All that nonsense last season from pundits about how he was "being played out of position" really got to me for reasons still unknown
You get the impression a lot of football fans have never actually seen Kante play for some bizarre reason. Case in point...

He's technically shit on the ball though.
 

ivaldo

Mediocre Horse Whisperer, s'up wid chew?
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
28,699
Oh good, another Kante thread, hurray.
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Does he have more stamina than Park?
Nah, Park tracked back wide as well and man marked.
Kante seems to cover ground but he's clever with it while Park was pushed and pulled around because he has to follow the ball.
If that makes sense.
 

Bwuk

Full Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
17,281
Love him.

I remember people on here rating Herrera as highly as him.

Kante is the best in the world at what he does.
 

VP89

Pogba's biggest fan
Joined
Dec 6, 2015
Messages
31,123
Kante is phenomenal. He's my favourite midfielder in the world. After Pogba ofcourse.
 

GlasgowCeltic

Full Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
5,060
Can only remember him playing badly once, against Croatia. Doesn’t carry the ball forward enough for Chelsea or France like he did Leicester.
 

Harry190

Bobby ten Hag
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
7,603
Location
Canada
Excellent player.

All that nonsense last season from pundits about how he was "being played out of position" really got to me for reasons still unknown
He was played out of position. They had him as an AM at the beginning of the season, and, drifting wide.
 

Pow

New Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2015
Messages
3,516
Location
Somewhere
Supports
Chelsea
We struck gold with this lad. Pure class on and off the pitch.
 

Terminator

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2015
Messages
1,928
He works his arse off, has stamina for days & is exceptional defensively. He's technically shit on the ball though.
He really improved on the ball last 2 seasons and is a terrific all round midfielder now. His game awareness and ability to manipulate the ball accordingly is astonishing.
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
32,621
Teams often risk important players when they're not fit.

Lampard got a bit of shit for not doing it against you lot in fact.
So how was it known that Kante wasn't match fit? He said that afterwards or...?
 

duffer

Sensible and not a complete jerk like most oppo's
Scout
Joined
Jun 24, 2004
Messages
50,138
Location
Chelsea (the saviours of football) fan.
So how was it known that Kante wasn't match fit? He said that afterwards or...?
Google it. He had the shits.

Kante himself would never blame gastroenteritis and they won the world cup anyway so who really cares.

Anyone who regularly watches Kante and saw his performance in that game knows that he was not right.
 

Gio

★★★★★★★★
Joined
Jan 25, 2001
Messages
20,297
Location
Bonnie Scotland
Supports
Rangers
I googled it. Apparently the source was Le Parisien, not Kante himself or Deschamps.
I thought it was pretty obvious he wasn’t fit for it but they tried him anyway. Happens quite often in big games with key players (Ronaldo in WC final, Costa in CL final).
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
32,621
You think Kante is going to tweet out excuses that he had the shits? Does that seem at all like his style?
He could have simply said he wasn't match fit without referring to having the shits. Or Deschamps could have come out and say that he was at fault for playing an unfit Kante.

It's not hard. Am I supposed to take Le Parisien at their word?
 

Orc

Pretended to be a United fan for two years
Joined
Dec 17, 2012
Messages
5,322
Supports
Chelsea
Was pretty surprised to see him still lining up as the most advanced of our 3 midfielders today. But Frank instructing Kovacic to play much deeper has really helped Kante. Unlike last season when Sarri had Kova way further up with only Jorginho as the "shielding" midfielder.
 

duffer

Sensible and not a complete jerk like most oppo's
Scout
Joined
Jun 24, 2004
Messages
50,138
Location
Chelsea (the saviours of football) fan.
He could have simply said he wasn't match fit without referring to having the shits. Or Deschamps could have come out and say that he was at fault for playing an unfit Kante.

It's not hard. Am I supposed to take Le Parisien at their word?
The most obvious answer is usually the right one.

Is it possible that Kante was fully fit but had the worst game of his career, got subbed off early for the first time ever and then a newspaper decided to do a cover up story? I guess so.

Seems more likely he wasnt 100% and the manager gambled, like has happened many many times.