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Frank Lampard ready to unleash N’Golo Kante in free role for Chelsea


Lampard does not want the World Cup winner just to sit in front of the defence (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard does not intend to pigeon-hole N’Golo Kante as a defensive midfielder and wants him to have more freedom in a flexible midfield.

There has been a huge amount of debate surrounding Kante’s best role after he was moved further forward by previous boss Maurizio Sarri, playing as the most advanced of a midfield three.

Much of his best work in back-to-back titles wins at Leicester and under Antonio Conte at Chelsea came as part of a holding midfield duo – first alongside Danny Drinkwater, then Nemanja Matic.

Lampard is a huge fan of Kante but does not believe he is just a pure destroyer (Picture: Getty)

Kante was not the sitter in either partnership, though, and Lampard does not intend to have the World Cup winner simply mop up in front of the defence, believing he has more strings to his bow than that.

Asked where Kante’s best position is, and where he’ll use him, Lampard explained: ‘Well, in midfield obviously. I think it’s been a discussion that’s probably been over-talked at times last year and that was me watching it from the outside.

‘But when I think of N’Golo Kante, the important thing for me – and all my midfield – is that we have a flexibility and nobody is pinned down to an absolute structure.

‘I think we saw elements of that against Liverpool where the players have the freedom to use their attributes.

Kante’s old club Leicester City visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday (Picture: Getty)

‘So the idea that he wins the ball probably as well as anyone in world football doesn’t mean he has to sit in front of the back four and do that.

‘He also has too much in his game, to drive forward with the ball, to leave midfield areas to win the ball back high up the pitch. So that’s what I want to give him the freedom to do.’





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