Frank Lampard has disclosed why N’Golo Kante was not included in the Chelsea team that lost 1-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux.
Kante was impressive last Wednesday as Chelsea shared the spoils with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge but Frank Lampard who has returned to Chelsea chose not to play the midfielder for the Blues trip to Wolverhampton.
Lampard said Kante was “rested”
On N’Golo Kante’s unavailability in the game, Lampard stated that the injury-prone Frenchman was being “rested”.
The Englishman explained: “We have to protect a couple of the players in the squad.”
Kante was unavailable for most part of the campaign due to a hamstring injury before he got back last week against Aston Villa.
It indicates that the dismissed Graham Potter did not have the opportunity to make use of debatably his best ball-winner throughout his time as manager of Chelsea.
England International Mason Mount had been anticipated to play a part in Lampard’s first encounter after coming back from his own injury concerns but he was not present in the team list for the match.
On Mason Mount, Lampard stated: “Mason has always been a fantastic player for me.
“I know he’s had a few injury problems so it’ll be important for me to speak to him about that and find out where he’s at.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to watch him, and other players like Reece James, Tammy Abraham and [Fikayo] Tomori to go on and be huge players here or elsewhere.
“But I know what I get from Mason. I just want to see him perform on the pitch.
“We have a good relationship. We talk a lot. He’s been a huge player for Chelsea.”
Kante’s influence was missed in the centre of the park as Chelsea lost the encounter via a Matheus Nunes rocket in the first half of the encounter.
Chelsea play Real Madrid next in the UEFA Champions League
Chelsea’s next match after Wolverhampton Wanderers will be a UEFA Champions League battle against defending champions Real Madrid.
N’golo Kante has been a gem in the middle of the park for Chelsea since he signed for the club in 2016 but it seems age is fastly catching up with him and that’s why he has suffered many recurrent injuries.
Whenever he is available and fit for Chelsea, he puts in his 100% and it can be seen from the way he fights for every ball and combines well with his teammates in attack.
The 32-year-old has made just four appearances for the West London side in the English Premier League this campaign featuring only against Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Chelsea faithfuls across the globe would be hoping that Kante would be match-ready to play against Real Madrid as Chelsea looks to end the season on a high.
Their only opportunity to win a silverware looks like the UEFA Champions League and they face an herculean task in the quarter-finals.
