France lucky to have charming Kanté
Saturday, June 25, 2016
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N'Golo Kanté has won all six of his games for France and the modest man who makes the holding role "look easy" according to Didier Deschamps has become a key performer for the hosts.
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N'Golo Kanté has won every international he has played and the midfielder's role will be crucial when he returns to the France starting line-up for Sunday's round of 16 game against the Republic of Ireland in Lyon.
The 25-year-old's amazing record with Les Bleus reads six victories from as many outings. It was typical of his meteoric rise over the last 12 months that he marked his first start for his country with a goal in a friendly victory against Russia in March.
Softly spoken and modest, the Leicester City man told EURO2016.com: "I'm not a lucky charm. I've won every game I've played for France so far and long may it continue, but the competition is tough and you never know what can happen."
Dimitri Payet rightly hogged the headlines for his man-of-the-match displays in the Romania and Albania group-stage fixtures, but Kanté ran him a very close second in terms of performance.
A yellow card collected against Albania led to him being rested for the final Group A game against Switzerland. With qualification already secured, Didier Deschamps did not want to risk being without the defensive midfielder at the start of the knockout phase.
When Lassana Diarra decided at the pre-UEFA EURO 2016 training camp in Austria that his knee was not up to the demands of the tournament, Kanté suddenly became first choice in front of the back four, capping a remarkable ascent for someone who was playing ninth-tier football only six years ago.
Deschamps said in the lead-up to the finals: "Everything looks simple and easy for him. I've played that position and there are times when your tongue is hanging out because you are so tired. He makes it look easy."
Indefatigable, Kanté excels at his main function of disrupting play and screening the back four, regularly nudging those who stand much taller than his 1.69m frame out of the way. He can play too. France like to build through the No5 and he's completed more passes than any other player in blue, despite featuring just twice.
Against Ireland, Kanté will line up at the base of a midfield triangle in a 4-3-3, as he did versus Romania and in the second half against Albania after the experiment with a 4-2-3-1 had been abandoned.
In those matches Kanté proved his ability to operate as the lone midfield anchor, even if he concedes he is more comfortable with somebody alongside him in the centre of the park, like Danny Drinkwater at shock Premier League champions Leicester.
"I would say I feel better in a 4-2-3-1," Kanté admitted. "But 4-3-3 is OK as well, and I do it for the team. I do it without any problem whatsoever."
Against a physical Irish side, Deschamps' assistant believes Kanté must play his usual game, despite the risk of suspension: "There must be no fear there," Guy Stéphan said. "Didier won't ask those who are on yellow cards to hold back."