The frustration was clear in the voice of Thomas Tuchel. Once again, the player he viewed as the most important to his Chelsea team was sidelined due to injury.
"He is our key, key, key player but the key, key players need to be on the pitch – and he plays only 40% of the games," the exasperated German coach said. "He is our Mo Salah. He is our Virgil van Dijk. He is our Kevin De Bruyne. He is simply that player: our Neymar or Kylian Mbappe."
The player in question was, of course, N'Golo Kante. The brilliant Frenchman has won nearly all there is to win during his time at Stamford Bridge. He was integral to a Premier League triumph under Antonio Conte, won the Europa League with Maurizio Sarri, and was the defining player in Chelsea's run to the 2021 Champions League.
