The English Premier League has a strong French contingent, playing at the top clubs in the country. The likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are all dependent on at least one French star in their starting lineup but the Blues and the Red Devils have two of the best stars from the EURO 16 finalists.
Manchester United broke the bank to get midfielder Paul Pogba to the club in a record transfer at the start of the season and Chelsea’s answer to him was Leicester City star N Golo Kante. Both players play in a similar position, but with completely different styles and complement each other, playing for their country. But how do they compare in the English league this season? Here is a statistical comparison of how effective each player has been for their club in their debut:
The Chelsea man has played around 300 minutes more than Pogba this season but is mainly a defensive midfielder. He has a goal and an assist to his name this season, compared to Paul Pogba, who is more creative, but has just four goals and three assists for the Red Devils. Kante is more concerned about keeping his goal clean while Pogba strives to spoil the defence in every game.
Both players are excellent passers of the ball and make close to 60 successful passes on an average in a game. While two of those passes from Paul Pogba are usually key passes, Kante makes one in every two games. Pogba also creates close to two chances a game compared to one in two for Kante again. However, Kante is a more reliable passer, completing 89% of his attempted passes, which is up with the best in the league while Pogba has an accuracy of just 85%.
But here is where Kante has been a beast. Winning close to two and a half tackles per game, compared to Pogba’s 1.4 in a game, Kante is a midfield engine who covers almost every inch of the ground. He has made 74 interceptions and four blocks in the league this season, which is arguably the best return for a midfielder. Pogba has made just 47 interceptions but has made three blocks this season.
Kante has also won 74% of his take ons while Pogba has been successful just 65% of the times when he attempts a take one. This means that Kante has been more reliable with the ball at his feet and has contributed a lot more than Pogba has at Old Trafford.
Kante is not the creator in chief at the Bridge like Pogba is for the Red Devils but he is the man that makes the midfield roll along for Chelsea, which makes him a far more important asset to the squad than what Pogba and his creativity are for Manchester United.
Stats Courtesy: Squawka.com
