Sarri Lashes Out At N

By Joshua Walters

Chelsea boss Mauricio Sarri has alluded to N’golo Kante’s tactical indiscipline against Tottenham Hotspurs on Saturday and warned the player to stick to his core duties henceforth.

Kante, as usual, played on the right side of midfield in a 4-3-3 formation as Spurs forced Chelsea to a first defeat in 13 Premier League games this season with a 3-1 win at Wembley Stadium.

Sarri partly blamed Kante for the defeat, following the French international’s penchant for playing as an offensive midfielder rather than staying close to Jorginho, and holding the fort for the Italian midfield partner whenever the player advanced.

"I don't want Kante in this position," Sarri said at the pre-match press conference of Chelsea Europa League clash against PAOK at Stamford Bridge.

"Kante, in the last match, wanted to solve the match after the first 15 minutes, but in the wrong way.”

"He lost the position, attacked too much at the other box. I think this one is not one of the best characteristics of Kante. It was only a reaction to the difficulties."

"Kante has to stay near to Jorginho, especially when the ball is on the other side," Sarri added.

"It depends on the action. If the ball is on the left, we have (Marcos) Alonso, (Eden) Hazard, (Mateo) Kovacic, (Ross) Barkley, so in that situation, he has to stay very close to Jorginho."