The
battle between N'Golo Kante and Willian will be crucial when Premier League
leaders Leicester City host Chelsea on
Monday Night Football.
Kante has been nothing short of a revelation this season. His consistent
performances and never-say-die attitude have made him one of the signings of
the summer.
The 24-year-old Frenchman was bought for £5.6m from Caen in August and was
Claudio Ranieri's first signing after taking over at Leicester.
The hard-working central midfielder has featured in every one of Leicester's
Premier League game so far this season, and in the last 10 games only five
players in the entire division have covered more ground.
Most distance covered in last 10 Premier League games
Player Club Distance covered
Dan Gosling Bournemouth 132km
Andrew Surman Bournemouth 125.5km
James McClean West Brom 122.5km
Matt Ritchie Bournemouth 119.5km
Yann M'Vila Sunderland 115.3km
N'Golo Kante Leicester 113.1km
The 5ft 6in dynamo may come up short in stature but he certainly doesn't in
the stats. He's made more interceptions than any other Premier League player
this season and ranks third in tackles won.
It's a continuation of Kante's outstanding form for Caen last season, when
he attempted the most tackles (178) and won possession the most times (146)
in Ligue 1.
Most interceptions in the Premier League
Player Club Interceptions
N'Golo Kante Leicester 64
Yohan Cabaye Crystal Palace 56
Laurent Koscielny Arsenal 50
Kyle Walker Tottenham 46
Nacho Monreal Arsenal 45
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have taken all the headlines for Leicester's
electric start to the season, but Kante's influence alongside central
midfield partner Danny Drinkwater cannot be underestimated.
His next task will be to disrupt and break up Chelsea's attacking moves,
which have been led by the in-form Willian this season.
Most tackles won in the Premier League
Player Club Tackles won
Lucas Leiva Liverpool 48
Erik Pieters Stoke 47
N'Golo Kante Leicester 41
Yohan Cabaye Crystal Palace 40
Robbie Brady Norwich 39
Willian has arguably been the Blues' most effective player in 2015-16. The
27-year-old Brazilian is their top scorer with seven goals in all
competitions - six of which have come from direct free-kicks - and this is
already his highest-scoring season at Chelsea.
His six free-kick goals have come from 11 attempts in the Premier League and
Champions League, giving him an impressive 55 per cent conversion rate. He
has scored four from five attempts in Europe and two from six efforts in the
league.
In total, 20 per cent of Chelsea's Premier League and Champions League goals
have come from his right-footed free-kicks. It represents a considerable
improvement from Willian, who failed to score from five free-kick attempts
in the last campaign.
Willian has already equalled the Champions League record for number of goals
scored from a set-piece in a season, which was held by fellow Brazilian
Juninho Pernambucano for Lyon in 2005-06.
Direct free kick goals in Europe's top five leagues
Player Club Direct free kick goals Conversion rate
Willian Chelsea 6 55%
M Gregoritsch Hamburg 5 29%
D Parejo Valencia 2 33%
C Eriksen Tottenham 2 16%
Y Salibur Guingamp 2 14%
But Willian has not simply contributed with free kicks this season, he's
also created 38 chances in the Premier League - second only to Eden Hazard
at Chelsea. Willian has also put in the most crosses and corners for the
Blues in league games with 100.
Kante, meanwhile, has provided the defensive springboard for Leicester's
devastating counter-attacking breaks this season with his perfectly-timed
tackles and interceptions.
His defensive work - and that of his Leicester team-mates - will need to be
especially disciplined on Monday night. Otherwise, needless fouls around the
Leicester box will lead to the kind of dead-ball opportunities from which
Willian has been so deadly.
Willian's free-kick expertise is further emphasised by the fact that only
six players in the top five major European leagues have scored more than one
goal from a direct free-kick this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, has scored one free kick from 24 attempts
this season, and he has scored only three goals in his last 79 set-piece
attempts in La Liga and Champions League games.
Willian is unrivalled in that regard. Kante and Leicester will need to be
vigilant.
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