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N’Golo Kante: Back like he’d never been away

N’Golo Kante: Back like he’d never been away

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When Didier Deschamps announced his France squad for the 2024 UEFA European Championships, there was one thing in particular that left the entire footballing world aghast. It wasn’t the maiden call-up of PSG’s precocious 21-year-old winger Bradley Barcola, or the omission of Lazio midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, or the fact that Deschamps chose to select 25 players instead of the allotted 26 players. It was the return of N’Golo Kanté, who, after two years in the wilderness, finds himself back in the starting XI for Les Bleus.

By Zach Lowy

Prior to this summer, Kanté’s last match for France came on June 3, 2022, in a UEFA Nations League match vs. Denmark. The 2022/23 season would see him struggle with injuries and make just nine appearances across all competitions, prompting Chelsea to cut ties with him and allow his deal to expire.

After a decade in Europe that would include a Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup title at Chelsea and an improbable league title with Leicester City, it seemed that Kanté’s time at Europa and with the France national team had come to an end. It seemed that Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, the bedrock of Real Madrid’s LaLiga and Champions League double, would be entrusted with the keys in central midfield, but with Tchouaméni injuring his foot at the start of May, those plans were thrown into disarray. Rather than take a gamble on a youngster like Guendouzi or Boubacar Kamara, Deschamps decided to give Kanté a call, with the Al-Ittihad midfielder making history for the Saudi league and becoming the second player to represent France in an international tournament whilst playing his club football outside of European football after Tigres striker André-Pierre Gignac in 2016.

After playing the full 90 in their last pre-tournament friendly, a 0-0 draw vs. Canada, Kanté was given the start ahead of Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana, PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery and Camavinga and was entrusted with partnering Adrien Rabiot in central midfield. It didn’t take long for him to justify Deschamps’ decision, with the 33-year-old showcasing the same tenacity, industriousness and composure that saw him reach the 2016 Euros Final and win the 2018 World Cup with France.

Kanté made his name as a hard-working, disciplined, box-to-box threat, a player who does the defensive work of two players and who could allow the more creative figures like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé to focus on getting forward and creating danger in the final third. We saw an example of this early on in France’s opening match vs. Austria: after holding off Nicolas Seiwald and tracking down a bouncing ball, Kanté immediately sought to release Marcus Thuram down the flank. It didn’t quite pan out for him, with Kevin Danso quick to intercept and play it towards Seiwald, who knocked it back to Stefan Posch. Whilst Posch seemed to have ample time to weigh up a cross into the box or take on Theo Hernández, Kanté capitalized on the Bologna defender’s indecision, racing towards the byline, extinguishing the potential threat, and forcing it out for a throw-in.

In a fairly young and inexperienced line-up that featured relative newcomers like William Saliba, Mike Maignan and Marcus Thuram, Kanté led by example and was constantly on the scene to snuff out danger and keep a confident and bold Austria side at bay. We saw another example of this, with Kanté remaining on alert for Austria to go short with a free kick before hustling towards the would-be crosser and putting his body on the line to block the delivery.

It wasn’t quite smooth sailing for Kanté on his competitive return to duty with Les Bleus. He was nearly caught out with a loose touch early on, conceded several unnecessary fouls with a late tackle, whilst he found himself at fault for one of Austria’s biggest chances in the opening minutes. With Christoph Baumgartner coming short for a throw-in, Kanté dutifully followed his man, who would take advantage of Kanté’s overexuberance by dropping his shoulder and eluding his opponent with a sublime turn towards goal.

But whilst Kanté’s proficient ball-winning nature came to the fore in Monday’s trip to Dusseldorf, his calmness and composure in possession proved essential for Les Bleus as well. Capable of dropping deep as a third centre-back and providing an extra outlet for them to work their way out of Austria’s intense pressing scheme, Kanté was measured and efficient in possession, quickly recycling the ball towards the attacking players and keeping pace with an Austria side that posed a serious threat with their work on and off the ball. He completed 46 out of 53 passes, racking up four passes into the final third, creating two big chances, and with a 7.9 rating, he was awarded FotMob’s Player of the Match.

Kanté is used to individual acclaim, be that the 2016/17 Premier League Player of the Season Award or the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season, but he isn’t quite used to making the highlight reel with a pinpoint switch of play or a ferocious shot from 20 yards out. He is, however, the textbook definition of a manager’s dream, a player who is never standing still and is constantly shifting his positioning in order to take away the option for a vertical ball and filling vacant space in order to limit the danger in transition. He’s always the first onto the scene and is capable of sensing the threat as soon as it arrives.

Austria began to show their fangs and put France under waves of pressure with quick and precise counter-attacking and an effective press, but it was Les Bleus who took the lead in the 38th minute as Mbappé drifted towards the right before squeaking past a sea of red shirts, accelerating towards the byline and firing in a tempting cross which deflected off the head of Austria defender Maximilian Wöber into his own net.

Rather than wallow in the melancholy of their self-inflicted wound, Austria were eager to compensate for their mistake and find an equaliser, but they were rendered ineffective thanks to the diligence and acuity of France’s veteran midfield general.

France had not lost a Euro match after leading at halftime since 2000, the same year they won their last European Championship, and Kanté’s performance ensured that this trend continued in Germany. Right after the break, Austria looked to hit on the counter after a France giveaway, but Grillitsch’s under-hit pass is seized upon by Kanté, who turned on the afterburners and beat Sabitzer to the ball before quickly dishing it off to Ousmane Dembélé. The PSG winger returned it to Kanté, who broke towards the edge of the box and attracted four Austria players before firing in a through ball towards Thuram, who was unable to control it.

Throughout the match, Kanté was adept at engineering counter-attacking situations with his speedy reactions and composed decision-making in possession. In the 53rd minute, rather than aimlessly whack the ball up the pitch, Kanté cleared the ball from the edge of the box towards the path of Thuram, who played a seamless one-two with Mbappé and found himself in a dangerous scoring position and even had the chance to lob Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, who had come off his line – instead, he weighed up his options and allowed the defence to recover.

As Austria looked to push for a decisive equaliser, Kanté continued to put out fires and guard against their attacking onslaughts.

Deschamps would introduce Camavinga and Kolo Muani for Rabiot and Dembélé in the 71st minute, before subbing on Fofana and Olivier Giroud for Griezmann and Mbappé in the 91st. He never dared to take off Kanté, however, who continued to rise to the occasion and put his body on the line for a France side that found itself on the ropes against a poised and undaunted Austrian side. His trust was justified time and time again, but perhaps none more so than in the 85th minute. Austria dealt with a free kick before hitting on the counter, with Saliba failing to deal with the danger and leaving Patrick Wimmer with acres of space. Once again, Kanté came to the rescue and won the ball back before safely dishing it off to Maignan. Rather than give away a red card or allow Wimmer to maneuver his way into the edge of the box, Kanté took care of the danger before his opponent even had a chance to consider his next move.

Les Bleus had to suffer and dig deep, but they just about managed to eke out a narrow victory and kick off their Euro campaign with three points, with Deschamps making it 100 wins in 154 matches as France manager. As the referee blew the final whistle, one could not help but think back to July 18, 2018, as the France players celebrated their World Cup victory at the Elysee Palace and chanted, “Il est petit, il est gentil, il a stoppe Leo Messi, mais on sait tous que c’est un tricheur, N’Golo Kanté.” (He’s small, he’s nice, he stopped Leo Messi, but we all know he’s a cheater, N’Golo Kanté.”

Whether or not Kanté cheats during his card games with his France teammates, one thing’s for sure: he never leaves you feeling cheated with his performances. He covers every single blade of grass, he is modest and precise in possession, and he is a player who provides the platform for winning teams.

From the France starting line-up that lost the 2022 World Cup Final, plenty has changed. Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane have both retired, whilst Olivier Giroud has dropped to the bench in what will be his final international tournament. With Tchouaméni still working his way back to full fitness, Kanté has been brought back into the fold and shown that he’s still more than capable of anchoring the midfield. If France are to reach their fourth final in a decade, he will surely have a vital role to play.

At 33 years of age, there’s still plenty of fuel left in his tank.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

N’Golo Kante: Back like he’d never been away

When Didier Deschamps announced his France squad for the 2024 UEFA European Championships, there was one thing in particular that left the entire footballing world aghast. It wasn’t the maiden call-up of PSG’s precocious 21-year-old winger Bradley Barcola, or the omission of Lazio midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, or the fact that Deschamps chose to select 25 players instead of the allotted 26 players. It was the return of N’Golo Kanté, who, after two years in the wilderness, finds himself back in the starting XI for Les Bleus.

By Zach Lowy

Prior to this summer, Kanté’s last match for France came on June 3, 2022, in a UEFA Nations League match vs. Denmark. The 2022/23 season would see him struggle with injuries and make just nine appearances across all competitions, prompting Chelsea to cut ties with him and allow his deal to expire.

After a decade in Europe that would include a Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup title at Chelsea and an improbable league title with Leicester City, it seemed that Kanté’s time at Europa and with the France national team had come to an end. It seemed that Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, the bedrock of Real Madrid’s LaLiga and Champions League double, would be entrusted with the keys in central midfield, but with Tchouaméni injuring his foot at the start of May, those plans were thrown into disarray. Rather than take a gamble on a youngster like Guendouzi or Boubacar Kamara, Deschamps decided to give Kanté a call, with the Al-Ittihad midfielder making history for the Saudi league and becoming the second player to represent France in an international tournament whilst playing his club football outside of European football after Tigres striker André-Pierre Gignac in 2016.

After playing the full 90 in their last pre-tournament friendly, a 0-0 draw vs. Canada, Kanté was given the start ahead of Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana, PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery and Camavinga and was entrusted with partnering Adrien Rabiot in central midfield. It didn’t take long for him to justify Deschamps’ decision, with the 33-year-old showcasing the same tenacity, industriousness and composure that saw him reach the 2016 Euros Final and win the 2018 World Cup with France.

Kanté made his name as a hard-working, disciplined, box-to-box threat, a player who does the defensive work of two players and who could allow the more creative figures like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé to focus on getting forward and creating danger in the final third. We saw an example of this early on in France’s opening match vs. Austria: after holding off Nicolas Seiwald and tracking down a bouncing ball, Kanté immediately sought to release Marcus Thuram down the flank. It didn’t quite pan out for him, with Kevin Danso quick to intercept and play it towards Seiwald, who knocked it back to Stefan Posch. Whilst Posch seemed to have ample time to weigh up a cross into the box or take on Theo Hernández, Kanté capitalized on the Bologna defender’s indecision, racing towards the byline, extinguishing the potential threat, and forcing it out for a throw-in.

In a fairly young and inexperienced line-up that featured relative newcomers like William Saliba, Mike Maignan and Marcus Thuram, Kanté led by example and was constantly on the scene to snuff out danger and keep a confident and bold Austria side at bay. We saw another example of this, with Kanté remaining on alert for Austria to go short with a free kick before hustling towards the would-be crosser and putting his body on the line to block the delivery.

It wasn’t quite smooth sailing for Kanté on his competitive return to duty with Les Bleus. He was nearly caught out with a loose touch early on, conceded several unnecessary fouls with a late tackle, whilst he found himself at fault for one of Austria’s biggest chances in the opening minutes. With Christoph Baumgartner coming short for a throw-in, Kanté dutifully followed his man, who would take advantage of Kanté’s overexuberance by dropping his shoulder and eluding his opponent with a sublime turn towards goal.

But whilst Kanté’s proficient ball-winning nature came to the fore in Monday’s trip to Dusseldorf, his calmness and composure in possession proved essential for Les Bleus as well. Capable of dropping deep as a third centre-back and providing an extra outlet for them to work their way out of Austria’s intense pressing scheme, Kanté was measured and efficient in possession, quickly recycling the ball towards the attacking players and keeping pace with an Austria side that posed a serious threat with their work on and off the ball. He completed 46 out of 53 passes, racking up four passes into the final third, creating two big chances, and with a 7.9 rating, he was awarded FotMob’s Player of the Match.

Kanté is used to individual acclaim, be that the 2016/17 Premier League Player of the Season Award or the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season, but he isn’t quite used to making the highlight reel with a pinpoint switch of play or a ferocious shot from 20 yards out. He is, however, the textbook definition of a manager’s dream, a player who is never standing still and is constantly shifting his positioning in order to take away the option for a vertical ball and filling vacant space in order to limit the danger in transition. He’s always the first onto the scene and is capable of sensing the threat as soon as it arrives.

Austria began to show their fangs and put France under waves of pressure with quick and precise counter-attacking and an effective press, but it was Les Bleus who took the lead in the 38th minute as Mbappé drifted towards the right before squeaking past a sea of red shirts, accelerating towards the byline and firing in a tempting cross which deflected off the head of Austria defender Maximilian Wöber into his own net.

Rather than wallow in the melancholy of their self-inflicted wound, Austria were eager to compensate for their mistake and find an equaliser, but they were rendered ineffective thanks to the diligence and acuity of France’s veteran midfield general.

France had not lost a Euro match after leading at halftime since 2000, the same year they won their last European Championship, and Kanté’s performance ensured that this trend continued in Germany. Right after the break, Austria looked to hit on the counter after a France giveaway, but Grillitsch’s under-hit pass is seized upon by Kanté, who turned on the afterburners and beat Sabitzer to the ball before quickly dishing it off to Ousmane Dembélé. The PSG winger returned it to Kanté, who broke towards the edge of the box and attracted four Austria players before firing in a through ball towards Thuram, who was unable to control it.

Throughout the match, Kanté was adept at engineering counter-attacking situations with his speedy reactions and composed decision-making in possession. In the 53rd minute, rather than aimlessly whack the ball up the pitch, Kanté cleared the ball from the edge of the box towards the path of Thuram, who played a seamless one-two with Mbappé and found himself in a dangerous scoring position and even had the chance to lob Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, who had come off his line – instead, he weighed up his options and allowed the defence to recover.

As Austria looked to push for a decisive equaliser, Kanté continued to put out fires and guard against their attacking onslaughts.

Deschamps would introduce Camavinga and Kolo Muani for Rabiot and Dembélé in the 71st minute, before subbing on Fofana and Olivier Giroud for Griezmann and Mbappé in the 91st. He never dared to take off Kanté, however, who continued to rise to the occasion and put his body on the line for a France side that found itself on the ropes against a poised and undaunted Austrian side. His trust was justified time and time again, but perhaps none more so than in the 85th minute. Austria dealt with a free kick before hitting on the counter, with Saliba failing to deal with the danger and leaving Patrick Wimmer with acres of space. Once again, Kanté came to the rescue and won the ball back before safely dishing it off to Maignan. Rather than give away a red card or allow Wimmer to maneuver his way into the edge of the box, Kanté took care of the danger before his opponent even had a chance to consider his next move.

Les Bleus had to suffer and dig deep, but they just about managed to eke out a narrow victory and kick off their Euro campaign with three points, with Deschamps making it 100 wins in 154 matches as France manager. As the referee blew the final whistle, one could not help but think back to July 18, 2018, as the France players celebrated their World Cup victory at the Elysee Palace and chanted, “Il est petit, il est gentil, il a stoppe Leo Messi, mais on sait tous que c’est un tricheur, N’Golo Kanté.” (He’s small, he’s nice, he stopped Leo Messi, but we all know he’s a cheater, N’Golo Kanté.”

Whether or not Kanté cheats during his card games with his France teammates, one thing’s for sure: he never leaves you feeling cheated with his performances. He covers every single blade of grass, he is modest and precise in possession, and he is a player who provides the platform for winning teams.

From the France starting line-up that lost the 2022 World Cup Final, plenty has changed. Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane have both retired, whilst Olivier Giroud has dropped to the bench in what will be his final international tournament. With Tchouaméni still working his way back to full fitness, Kanté has been brought back into the fold and shown that he’s still more than capable of anchoring the midfield. If France are to reach their fourth final in a decade, he will surely have a vital role to play.

At 33 years of age, there’s still plenty of fuel left in his tank.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.