Leicester City’s reunion with Kante must inspire them to move on

Follow us on Google Discover

Reigning champions Leicester have struggled to adapt to life without N’Golo Kante. However, they must change tactically to make up for his absence.

Leicester City’s remarkable league triumph last season was most definitely a collective effort. A whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts, to steal a phrase from Aristotle.

However, there were three key men who stood out even above the rest. Those three were: Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante.

Speculation swirled around the trio, but the most intense focus was on the two attacking players, with both linked strongly to Arsenal in particular. Vardy and Mahrez never made the move to London, despite an official bid being lodged for Vardy by the Gunners.

But Kante did move to London. This season, he still lines up in blue, but it is the blue of Chelsea, not Leicester.

Each of the aforementioned trio were key in their own unique way. Vardy provided goals, a long-ball option, and relentless pressing from the front. Mahrez was the sprinkling of magic dust, turning players inside out and both creating and scoring goals.

Kante was the player who allowed the other two to thrive. The Leicester team as a whole could think forward a little more because of their Frenchman’s unbelievable work-rate. He brought the best out of Danny Drinkwater, and – crucially – allowed Leicester to play in a 4-4-2 formation.

Having Kante in central midfield was like – as his manager and others repeatedly said – having two players instead of one. It gave them solidity in the centre while allowing the Foxes to utilise two strikers and play an open, attacking game, or play on the break – and often it was a bit of both.

Now that he is gone, and Leicester fans will be painfully reminded of his absence when he lines up against them for Chelsea on Saturday, Claudio Ranieri must change something.

New signing Nampalys Mendy has spent much of the new season out injured, and while Amartey has done his best, he is no Kante.

For the Foxes to succeed, they must either play deeper and choose to hit teams on the break more efficiently, or play with an extra man in midfield and sacrifice the extra striker.

Either way, if Leicester continue to try and play the open, end-to-end style of football that led them to the title last season, they will be picked apart without the colossal influence of their diminutive Frenchman. Seeing him play against them must inspire them to move on.