Kante injury might NOT be such a bad thing for Chelsea as Loftus-Cheek proves his star quality once again
Blues fans have been urging boss Maurizio Sarri to play the England man all season - and he grabbed his chance against Watford in style
CHELSEA fans were fearing for their top-four hopes when N'Golo Kante hobbled off with less than ten minutes on the clock.
On trotted Ruben Loftus-Cheek, fan favourite, England star with creativity in abundance.
Blues fans needn't have worried - the London lad had it all under control.
Along with Eden Hazard, Loftus-Cheek was Chelsea's best attacking threat in the first half.
Unlike Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek WANTED to take people on. He WANTED to provide support to a lonely Gonzalo Higuain. And he WANTED to get on the end of things.
So it was no surprise when three minutes into the second half he headed home from Hazard's cross.
All the talk on the Stamford Bridge terraces this season has been around boss Maurizio Sarri's reluctance to trust Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
When they have played, the fans are excited, the football is flowing, and opposition teams don't know where to turn.
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It appears pretty obvious to everyone except Sarri that these two players should be two of the first names on the team-sheet.
Hudson-Odoi is out injured, but Loftus-Cheek, himself a regular sufferer of niggles here and there, is fighting fit.
And it was a good job as he was pressed into action early on.
Kante has had to adapt his game under Sarri, being told to move away from his favoured central position to accommodate the boss' favourite Jorginho.
And while Kante has still maintained a high level of performance and chipped in with goals along the way, he simply doesn't possess the attacking confidence Loftus-Cheek has.
Still only 23-years-old, the Lewisham-born baller has more learning to do - but under the right coaching there is every chance he COULD become as much of a Blues legend as a certain Frank Lampard.
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Whether that coaching is Sarri and his current backroom staff remains to be seen. But a top-four finish this season will probably mean Sarri starts the 2019/20 season in the hotseat.
Let's hope Loftus-Cheek starts in the midfield too. England need this to become the norm.
