Kanté is overrated. Let me explain why. He can only really do a very specific job, which is ballwinning. In this respect he's a lot like Idrissa Gueye- or Fernando, I suppose, but then I've never claimed Fernando is world-class. Ask him to make a splitting pass forward, or to finish a move, and more often than not he lets you down. He's fashionable at the moment but he will only work in a team where the manager asks him to do only one job, as shown by some of his earlier excursions into the France team. Fernandinho for the last few seasons will win you the ball with tackles (granted not as often), but he will also provide you with an equally high workrate, five or six goals, a few assists and a more complete passing range. Not to mention versatility. Can you imagine Kanté playing at full-back, centre-half, defensive midfield and right wing all in the same month? I couldn't. To be world-class means so much more than what he does.
Kanté is very good at what he does, which is to run around a lot and make a lot of tackles. He's perhaps the best in the world at that- against smaller teams at least. It gave me great pleasure and pride to watch our very own David Silva humiliate the "league's best midfielder" without so much as breaking a sweat last week.
