Sarri critical of Kante, will not change Chelsea's midfield approach

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has suggested N'Golo Kante's performance against Tottenham Hotspur did not meet his expectations.

Kante's role under Sarri has been a topic of intense debate. The midfielder won the Premier League title with both Leicester City and the Blues playing in a deep-lying central midfield role; with France's World Cup-winning side, he served as an integral part in the same position.

However, now he has been given a different brief which involves driving forward in attack, a tweak that has potentially limited Kante's effectiveness.

Sarri agrees the 27-year-old's display in the 3-1 defeat to Spurs left something to be desired, but insists he will not change his midfield tactics.

"As you know, I want to play a center midfielder who is a very technical player, so it is either Jorginho or (Cesc) Fabregas," he told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't want Kante in this position.

"Against Tottenham, Kante wanted to solve this match after the first 15 minutes but in the wrong way. He lost the position, he attacked too much the other box and this run is not one of the best characteristics of Kante, but it was only a reaction to the difficulties.

"Maybe it is only a question of time but Kante has to stay near to Jorginho, especially when the ball is on the other side, the ball is on the left."

Kante signed a new five-year contract at Stamford Bridge last week worth a reported £290,000 per week.

Sarri, who added he held one-on-one meetings with players after the defeat to Spurs which ended Chelsea's unbeaten league start, also disclosed that Eden Hazard and Victor Moses will miss the Europa League tie with PAOK on Thursday.

"Hazard is not a serious injury but he will not be able to play tomorrow," the Italian continued. "I think we will be able to recover him for the game on Sunday. I spoke with the doctor 10 minutes ago and he told me Moses has a back problem this morning so I think he will not be able to play tomorrow.

Chelsea are already through to the Europa League knockout stage and will win their group with a point against PAOK.