“He’s so unbelievable” – Ian Wright names Chelsea star who could be key to beating Manchester City
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has heaped praise on Chelsea superstar N'Golo Kante ahead of the Blues' game against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Wright was full of praise for the Frenchman and explained how he could be key for Chelsea to win against Manchester City. He said:
"Chelsea could easily let City come onto them. You’ve got Kante, he can break down play and he’s so good progressively with his passing forward. He’s so unbelievable at reading and knowing where the danger is. He was so phenomenal at that then people think that’s what his main strength is. This is what (Maurizio) Sarri tried to do with him and Frank (Lampard) tried to with him."
He continued,
"They wanted him to win it higher, but they know that because of the calibre player he is, how good he is with running with the ball, one-touch passing, scoring, they tried to move him forward. But then, you think to yourself, why take arguably for me the greatest player I’ve ever seen play that position out of there when he can do everything that he’s doing there? He’s going to have to put in those kind of performances against City, because if he does that, they’ve got an unbelievable chance of beating them."
Kante has been one of Chelsea's most integral players in midfield since joining the club back in 2016. The Frenchman has made 236 appearances for the Blues across all competitions, winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League during that time.
The midfielder's 2021-22 campaign, however, has been marred by injuries and unavailability due to testing positive for COVID-19, as Kante has only managed to make 14 starts across all competitions for the Blues. Thomas Tuchel will hope the Frenchman can remain fit for the rest of the season as the club look to challenge for silverware on multiple fronts.
Chelsea need to beat Manchester City to stay in the title race
Chelsea take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in a clash which will be crucial to the Premier League title race this season. Pep Guardiola's side are currently 10 points clear at the top of the table and have won their last seven games on the trot across all competitions.
The Blues, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last 11 games across all competitions. However, Thomas Tuchel's side have only managed to win six of those games. They will be going into Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak across all competitions and will hope to use that momentum against Guardiola's side.