Antonio Conte: N'Golo Kante is the 'complete midfielder' for Chelsea

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Standard Sport30 October 2016

Antonio Conte believes N'Golo Kante is more than just a defensive presence for Chelsea, praising the France international as a "complete midfielder."

Kante initially impressed in his opening performances for Chelsea after sealing a £32million summer move from Leicester, but was then criticised after Conte's Blues lost key matches against Liverpool and Arsenal.

The France international has been in superb form sinnce Conte's switch to a 3-4-3 formation, scoring his first Chelsea goal in the 4-0 demolition of Manchester United last Sunday.

Conte, who admitted he was not aware of Kante before his influential season with the Foxes, feels that while the midfielder can play in a variety of roles, he wishes for Kante to be positionally disciplined.

"He's a complete midfielder, not only a defensive midfielder," Conte said.

"You can see in the last three games of the championship (against Hull, Leicester and United), N'Golo could score three goals.

"He's a player that always arrives in the box. He has fantastic stamina, also good technique, good positioning, good personality. He's a very good player.

"He can play box to box, but I prefer to respect the position."

Kante operates well in Conte's favoured 3-4-3 system, where the head coach demands continual pressure on the opposition.

One player who struggled in the system with his first experience of it on Wednesday was John Terry, who was making his first appearance after more than six weeks out with an ankle problem.

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Terry is expected to return to the substitutes' bench against Southampton on Sunday, with Conte adamant that his influence remains important, but his captaincy does not make the defender immune from omission.

"My decisions are only for the best for the team, for the club and to win," Conte said.

"If one player is captain or vice-captain, it's not important.

"It's important to find the right solution to take the best decision for the team, in this moment."

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