N'Golo Kante keeping grounded after two years of whirlwind success: 'I don’t feel like player of the year'

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As so much changes around N’Golo Kante, it is so reassuring that nothing ever changes with him. He’s still there, still relentlessly running, still providing the energy that powers this frenetic Chelsea side, offering that sense of reliability which played such a key part in ensuring the champions quickly recovered from the calamitous opening-day defeat by Burnley.

They have have now won four consecutive games, and some of that clearly comes from the PFA and FWA player of the year applying the same consistency of mentality that marked his performances last season.

It should be no surprise, then, the 26-year-old hasn’t let last season’s double of individual awards go to his head. “I don’t feel like the player of the year,” Kante put it, after Chelsea’s 6-0 Champions League win over Qarabag.

He sounds exactly like an Antonio Conte player, with his determination to look forward, stay grounded and keep on working hard an inherent part of his footballing DNA.

“I think in football, when one game passes, we need to forget [it] to keep improving,” Kante said. “I think last season was amazing for me and the club but this was the past and we need to focus for the future. This is what we need to do. I don’t feel like the player of the year. I don’t really care about it when I play on the pitch. I just try to do my best always when I’m on the pitch, and try to improve in training, and give my best in the game.”

Chelsea now look back to their best and in ominous form for Arsenal ahead of their match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. It only deepens the sense that they were someway underrated going into this season despite their status as champions, and that too much was made of results like the 3-2 against Burnley and the consecutive setbacks to Arsene Wenger’s side in the FA Cup final and Community Shield.

“I think we were close to winning but the red card [for Victor Moses in the FA Cup] was more difficult for us, they scored, and after we lost on penalties [in the shield], but in the game we were good, we were close to winning, and was the next game against them," Kante added. "We know how they play, and we fight to win.”

Some of the concerns were understandably down to the commotion surrounding transfers, and Conte’s own clear frustration at the initial inability to strengthen the squad. It has ultimately seen Kante gain new midfield partners in Tiemoue Bakayoko and old Leicester City teammate Danny Drinkwater, with Nemanja Matic leaving for Manchester United, and he admits it has led to some changes in how the team moves.

“No, I think it’s different. It’s always the same mentality, game after game. I cannot say it’s the same [team movement]. We prepare game after game and try to win game by game.

“Some players joined the club but it is like in every club. We try to make them feel good quickly and to understand how we play, how we train. I think they did very well. Bakayoko scored his first goal [against Qarabag]. [Davide] Zappacosta scored his first goal and it is good for them and good for us. We need everyone this month.

“We spent one year together and we understand now how we have to play, we have to work and it’s easy to do it in the game and we have to keep going because many games will come, people know how we play and we have to find the solution.

"For sure Nemanja Matic was a good player for us. I know he was in Chelsea for many years, I have the chance to play one year with him and he was a very good player for me. We spent a good season together. He left now, he plays for United but Bakayoko has come and I think he’s a good player, and that we can do very well with him.

“I am pleased for [Drinkwater] to come into Chelsea. We need everyone, especially after our time together in Leicester. I hope it could be something like Leicester or even more, I hope. We did a special year together in Leicester to win the league [in 2015-16]. It wasn’t expected and I really enjoyed the season that I spent with him and I am happy that he chose to join Chelsea and I am happy to play with him again.”

The wonder now is whether the champions can keep going, can put together something close to the 13-game winning run they enjoyed last season.

“I think last season, it was special. I know we won 13 games in a row. Now it’s the beginning, we cannot expect to do the same. We take it game after game and we try to be ready for the next game, Arsenal Sunday and we will give everything to win.”

Kante won’t get ahead of himself, then, but that’s all too typical. It is one reason Chelsea feel back to normal, because he still feels he's such a normal player. He remains anything but.