EURO 2024: MIDFIELD METRONOME N'GOLO KANTE IS FRANCE'S DRIVING FORCE
For all their flair, France are forging a path to Euro 2024 glory through frugality.
Four games have yielded only three goals. Only one French player, Kylian Mbappe, has registered for Les Bleus, a penalty against Poland, while the other two went down as own goals.
At the back, the defence of Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Jules Kounde, Theo Hernandez and goalkeeper Mike Maignan have been breached just once.
During Monday's last-16 encounter against Belgium, a game that looked to be fizzling out was brought to life by the introduction of Randal Kolo Muani. The substitute's smart turn and shot saw the ball nestle in the Belgium goal via a deflection off the helpless Jan Vertonghen.
If the team has yet to really catch fire in Germany, one player who continues to shine bright is N'Golo Kante. The 33-year-old midfielder has been reinvigorated at these Euros, displaying all the guile and gumption that has characterised a distinguished career.
A mainstay of the French team that lifted the World Cup in Russia in 2018, Kante missed out on the 2022 finals in Qatar due to injury, where France lost a thrilling final to Argentina on penalties. The problem was his hamstrings, no doubt the result of years of wear and tear on one of the game's great box-to-box midfielders. It was one of a series of them to afflict Kante during what should have been his peak years.
During his final season at Chelsea, in 2022/23, Kante played only nine games. He played 42 the previous season and 48 the one before that, helping the club win only a second Uefa Champions League title and a first Club World Cup trophy.
Seemingly diminished, Kante was allowed to leave Stamford Bridge last summer at the expiration of his contract.
A free agent, Kante joined the revolution taking place in Saudi Arabia, signing a three-year contract at one of the kingdom's 'Big Four' clubs Al Ittihad.
While his arrival was devoid of the pomp that greeted Karim Benzema and Neymar, Al Ittihad took a chance on a player of proven pedigree, although one with a worrying recent injury record. Champions in 2022/23, Ittihad finished a disappointing fifth this time around in the Saudi Pro League season, a mammoth 42 points behind champions Al Hilal.
Though the team's struggles initially affected Kante, he impressed, particularly over the second half of the season, playing 46 games in all. It earned him a recall to Didier Deschamps' France squad for the Euros after a two-year absence having played no part in qualifying.
Kante has earned two player-of-the-match awards, showing that injuries have not diminished his football IQ. His greatest strength has always been his anticipation of where the danger is and he has shown throughout the tournament he still has the acceleration to snuff it out.
“Just look at what he’s done; that’s why I brought him,” Deschamps said last week following the 1-1 draw against Poland. “He’s tactically intelligent, has the ability to recover and get forward. He was brilliant today, and so much the better because that’s what we needed. He was radiant.”
Despite some initial reservations, Kante's return to the France squad has been welcomed by his teammates.
“There was a certain amount of uncertainty when he arrived,” Mbappe told Ouest-France. Those doubts were soon swept aside after a few training sessions though. “He hasn’t lost a thing. He has a thousand lungs,” Mbappe added.
“He hasn't changed,” added striker Olivier Giroud, while defender Benjamin Pavard described him as “incredible, still as strong as ever”.
Often typecast as a destroyer, Kante's creativity has come more to the fore in Germany. It was his sharp pass to Kolo Muani from the edge of the box that led to France's winner against Belgium.
Kante is now on the longest unbeaten run by any European player in major tournament history, winning 13 and drawing six of 19 games covering European Championships and World Cups.
Next up for France is a quarter-final against Portugal, where Kante will reignite rivalries with several contemporaries also playing their trade in Saudi Arabia in Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruben Neves.
While Les Bleus strikers struggle for goals, their midfield metronome has them covered.
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