Kante is key to Chelsea’s recent run, says Lampard

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Frank Lampard believes the return to form of N’Golo Kante has been crucial to Chelsea’s excellent recent run of results.

The France midfielder was outstanding in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle after missing large chunks of last season due to a variety of injuries and Lampard said he is back to the form that helped both Leicester and Chelsea to Premier League titles.


Kante has played in every league game this season for the Blues and Lampard said both monitoring his training and playing him in a deeper midfield role has been key to his good performances.

“His levels of performances are really high,” Lampard said.

“I keep saying when I get asked about N’Golo that I have so much faith in him and the top midfielder that he is in world football – and not just at breaking up and winning the ball back.

“That is a huge quality he has but his passing and supporting the midfield in that deeper role has been a very comfortable transition for him and I am really happy with how he is playing.

“When I came at the start of last season he’d been injured from the Europa League final and that just rolled on throughout the year.

“It was unfortunate for us to lose him for 50 per cent of games because of the level of player he is.

“We have had a better period of getting him in a place where we really want to get him.

“We’re really aware in training of his numbers and the distance he’s running because every time in training when you let him off the leash he has a ridiculous output. Hopefully that continues.”