Maurizio Sarri has ruled out the possibility of altering the roles of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, despite criticism of his tactics after Chelsea’s defeat at Tottenham.
The Blues were overrun by Spurs in their 3-1 loss at Wembley, leading to suggestions Sarri should move Kante to the deeper central position in his midfield three.
Kante is regarded as one of the leading defensive midfielders, winning the World Cup and two Premier League titles in the last three seasons, but Sarri says he does not have the skillset to play the holding role in his system.
The manager explained: “I want to play a central midfielder who is a very technical player, so for me, the central midfielder is Jorginho or (Cesc) Fabregas. I don’t want Kante in this position.
“Kante, in the last match, wanted to solve the match after the first 15 minutes, but in the wrong way. He lost the position, he attacked too much.
“This one is not one of the best characteristics of Kante, but it was only in reaction to the difficulties.
“Maybe it’s only a question of time, but Kante has to stay near to Jorginho, especially when the ball is on the other side. When the ball is on the left he has to stay very close to Jorginho.”