N'Golo Kanté Responds To Criticism Of Maurizio Sarri Playing Him In An Advanced Position

Maurizio Sarri has been under fire for his use of N'Golo Kanté in Chelsea's starting XI.

The Blues boss signed Jorginho last summer for a reported fee of £50m from Napoli, which has had an impact on Kanté's role at the club.

The 27-year-old former Leicester City star has been deployed in more of an advanced position rather than being the defensive rock for the Chelsea backline.

While many fans have criticised Sarri's handling of Kanté, the World Cup-winning Frenchman made a surprising admission about his role under the former Napoli manager.

"It is something possible [to play Jorginho's role], but the manager decides," Kanté told Goal.

"It's fine, it's fine. I like this [more advanced] position. Prefer it? It depends on the game, but I enjoy it.

"I'm with the manager, and I'm enjoying the way I'm playing now.

"It is a position I used to play when I was in France. I'm enjoying participating more in the offensive positions to change the game. I am enjoying it."

Journalist Richard Williams had some strong choice of words on Sarri, claiming that the Chelsea manager's handling of Kanté has been a "form of footballing vandalism."

Meanwhile, Jorginho received a hostile reception from Chelsea fans after he came on as a substitute against Malmö in their Europa League clash on Thursday.

However, Sarri came out after the match to defend the 27-year-old Italian midfielder.

"I think that in the first 30 mins, we understood why Jorginho is very important for our play," he told Goal.

"We were in trouble to exit our half from pressing.

"With Jorginho, it is easier, I think. I hope our fans understand Jorginho is an important player."

Chelsea will travel to Wembley Stadium on Sunday for their highly anticipated clash with Manchester City in the EFL Cup final.

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Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Manchester City, Football News, Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea, Football, Wembley Stadium, Premier League, EFL Cup, Napoli, N'Golo Kante, London

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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