[ad_1]
It was in the eighth minute of what may yet be known as the second Battle of Stamford Bridge (or third if we’re taking things back to the Viking invasions of England), a 2-2 draw between the hosts Chelsea and visiting Tottenham Hotspur, that Thomas Tuchel lost his rag with N’Golo Kante. Chelsea’s midfielder had just judged Ben Davies’ pass into midfield to perfection, slipping in ahead of Heung-min Son to win possession for his side just inside the Tottenham half. Kai Havertz, Chelsea’s unconventional center forward, was quick to react, and had a step on Tottenham’s defense, but Kante’s subsequent pass was undercooked. As is his wont, Tuchel bounced up and down on the touchline in a fit of rage.
He would not need to do so again. One might contend that that was the final sloppy moment Kante would deliver in the next 76. He was dominant. So were Chelsea.
Want more soccer? Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every Serie A match this season, not to mention select games in Italian. Sign up now with offer code ITALY to get a special one month free trial. A subscription also gives you access to other sports content including every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match, the NFL on CBS, and countless movies and shows. Get it all free for one month with promo code ITALY.
Naturally the two were intrinsically linked. The reason Chelsea were able to set the terms of engagement so dramatically in their favor is because Kante — ably aided by the no less impressive Jorginho — was able to cover all of Tottenham’s escape routes. Five ball recoveries, an interception, a tackle and two of four loose ball duels won are hardly earth shattering numbers for one of the most dominant midfield forces of the last decade. But, what mattered most was where those numbers were attained.
Kante was the choke point on the edge of the Tottenham third, the port of first call whenever a…
[ad_2]
Source : cbssports
