According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was rather displeased with how the injury to French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante was handled during the international break. Although the midfielder picked up his injury during the warm-ups to France’s first fixture, national team manager Didier Deschamps decided to hold onto his man until the end of their second game a few days later. Even though he was out of contention to play, he wasn’t sent back to Chelsea.
This seems to have irked Frank Lampard quite a bit as he was left absolutely raging at how the situation was taken care of. He went on to say that if the player had returned to Chelsea right after he was declared unfit, the Blues’ fitness staff could’ve begun to work on his rehabilitation. Considering that Chelsea started the season with multiple handicaps already in play, injuries during international duty is the last thing the backroom team will want.
What N’Golo Kante Brings To The Table
The French superstar was signed from Leicester City on the back of an inspired title-winning campaign in the Midlands. His defensive work-rate and overall play was the ideal personification of the sheer passion that the Foxes showed to pull off the unthinkable that year. The Blues scouts were quick to catch on and little did they know that they would be getting potentially the bargain of the century. Since moving to Chelsea, he has developed into an immovable object in the heart of midfield, often seen loitering around the pitch with the pureness of a child.
The amount of effort that he puts into every game simply cannot be quantified, and his willingness to chase down even the most hopeless of causes is what sets him apart from the rest. More recently, the Frenchman has added winding forward runs and spectacular finishes into his repertoire, making him one of the deadliest defensive-midfielders in world football today. The difference of having him on the pitch is clear as night and day, and it’s no surprise that Lampard was furious.
Do Chelsea Have The Depth To Deal With So Many Injuries?
Mateo Kovacic, Andreas Christensen and Callum Hudson-Odoi, all suffered minor knocks during the international break, further worsening Lampard’s current headache. Despite all this, missing N’Golo Kante is a different ballgame altogether. He adds a whole new dimension to the Chelsea midfield, and there’s no point in even beginning to discuss his mind-blowing defensive work-rate. Although Chelsea do have a fairly stacked squad, things could turn quite bleak at Stamford Bridge, if the situation isn’t dealt with properly.
Ross Barkley may be forced into action, with both Kovacic and Kante unavailable for selection. In the form of positive news though, the Blues have received word that Hudson-Odoi is in contention to face Newcastle today. Also, long-term absentee Ruben Loftus-Cheek isn’t far away from a return either.
All things taken into account, Lampard doesn’t look to be in too much trouble at this point, especially considering that all the injuries are minor. With the youngsters seemingly doing a brilliant job, the Chelsea legend will be confident of his chances, even if an important player like N’Golo Kante, isn’t available for selection.
