Ranking N'Golo Kante Among Chelsea's Finest Premier League Defensive Midfielders

Garry Hayes@@garryhayesX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistFebruary 8, 2017

Ranking N'Golo Kante Among Chelsea's Finest Premier League Defensive Midfielders

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    N'Golo Kante is the talk of the town. His recent displays for Chelsea against Liverpool and Arsenal have helped cement the Blues at the top of the table and earned him all kinds of acclaim in the process.

    It's all completely justified, too. There isn't another defensive midfielder in the Premier League who is performing like Kante right now, with his form a major reason behind the success Antonio Conte's side have enjoyed.

    But if Kante's the Premier League's finest defensive midfielder right now, where does he rank among those who have featured in the same position for Chelsea since the Premier League's inception?

    Some major names have passed through Stamford Bridge in that time, especially since Roman Abramovich arrived in 2003 to spend lavishly on the world's best talent.

    Is Kante the finest? Well, let's find out. 

5. Emmanuel Petit

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    If you ask Ruby Wax, Emmanuel Petit was more attractive than he was talented as a footballer.

    In some sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd, Chelsea fans will probably agree. Granted, Petit signed for the Blues after enjoying the best part of his career with Arsenal, where he won the Premier League and FA Cup double, later joining Barcelona.

    Still, he was a strong presence at Chelsea, despite never quite hitting the same heights that earned him a move from Highbury to the Camp Nou.

    Petit was pre-Abramovich, but he formed a good partnership with Frank Lampard in the latter's early spell in west London. He helped build a foundation for the success Chelsea would later enjoy, with Lampard going on to become one of the world's finest players.

    Petit was cultured and combative all at the same time. He never lacked endeavour, and on skill alone, he's one of the more distinguished players to have featured in central midfield for the Blues.

    He got Chelsea moving forward. He preferred a forward pass to something sideways, and for players in his position, that is vital. It shows an understanding of the game and an intelligence for how his role impacts the players around him.

    Some at Chelsea haven't always grasped that notion. 

4. Eddie Newton

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    Back when Chelsea were fighting for European places and cups rather than Premier League titles, Eddie Newton was a key man in midfield.

    He had come through the club's youth system alongside Frank Sinclair and others who helped populate the Chelsea squad in the 1990s.

    Aside from Jody Morris—who was a few generations down the line in Chelsea's youth development—Newton was probably the cream of the crop.

    Newton wasn't especially eye-catching or skilful, but he was disciplined and efficient. He bucked the trend, with his languid style more associated with continental players than those who had been blooded in the English game.

    He read the game well and benefited greatly from having Glenn Hoddle and Ruud Gullit as managers—both of whom played in a similar position and helped Newton take his game to the next level.

    It shows how valuable Newton was to Chelsea that he was always used in central midfield, even when the club started signing more overseas names in the latter part of the decade.

3. N'Golo Kante

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    Given how he's performed in the first six months of his Chelsea career, we should expect N'Golo Kante to be higher than third when we revisit a rankings list of this kind in the next few years.

    But with time not being on his side, we can only judge him on what he has done. So sitting where he is shouldn't be deemed a criticism, especially when we consider the players who are ranked higher than him.

    Kante's influence at Chelsea has been incredible this term. When Antonio Conte talks about Chelsea flourishing from an ugly duckling to become Premier League leaders, it's because players like Kante made it possible.

    He does the simple things so well that it allows others, such as Eden Hazard, to focus on creating opportunities and being the threat they are paid to be.

    Kante is the insurance policy every coach craves, forming a strong partnership with Nemanja Matic. Indeed, the resurgence of Matic this term has been, in large part, down to Kante's presence.

    He doesn't shirk his responsibilities, and knowing Kante is around has meant Matic has been free to focus on his game again, which has strengthened Chelsea's spine.

    The diminutive Frenchman has been infectious at Chelsea this season.

2. Michael Essien

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    A supreme athlete, Michael Essien is the most unique of Chelsea's defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

    Not only did he prove effective in the defensive third, but he was a major threat at the opposite end. He found himself on the scoresheet at vital times for Chelsea (think of his wonder strike against Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League semi-final), and had it not been for a persistent knee injury, he would have gone a lot closer to matching the No. 1 on our list.

    They called Essien the Bison for good reason. When he was in full flow, he would bamboozle opponents. He would run through them, bombarding his way into defensive and attacking positions to dominate those central areas.

    Watching Essien in motion really was a sight. He had everything as a player and even spent a period playing out of position at right-back.

    N'Golo Kante demonstrates the same tenacity as Essien in midfield. Not only does he read the game well, but he has the energy to press opponents and win back possession.

    It's going forward where Essien edges it at present. The Ghanaian was a complete player in a sense, whereas Kante needs to work on what he does further forward in order to overtake Essien in our rankings.

1. Claude Makelele

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    When you've had a position named after you, it'll take something special to topple you from your perch.

    That's the territory Claude Makelele finds himself in at Chelsea. Still.

    Such was his impact at Stamford Bridge when the Blues signed him in 2003. Makelele changed the way we think about defensive midfielders. From being a burden for some teams, suddenly players of his ilk became a prerequisite for any side chasing success.

    It wasn't just enough to have a ball-winner in the middle. Teams needed a player who could operate in the same way Makelele did by breaking up plays and starting attacks. He was masterful at it, and players such as Lampard benefited greatly.

    The fact we still refer to that as the Makelele role really sets him apart not only from his peers at the time but also N'Golo Kante now.

    That's not to suggest Kante isn't making a similar impression in west London, but as it stands after six months as a Chelsea player, the Frenchman has some way to go before he can claim to have bested his compatriot.

    Makelele set the benchmark, and nobody has hit it yet.

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