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'He's a human vacuum': Ex-United man Owen Hargreaves names key Chelsea player they need back

Premier League Productions

“He’s a human vacuum, isn’t he? He tidies up everybody else’s mistakes,” Hargreaves told Premier League Productions.

. Every team he walks into is a significantly better team.

“So, he’s the guy who knits it all together — he’s the one you need back.

“That intensity, the pressing out of possession, are essentially priceless for every team.

 could be in team training as soon as Tuesday and the Chelsea midfield desperately needs the Frenchman back. 

Kante's qualities cannot be exaggerated enough and it is no surprise that the Blues have conceded 8 goals in their last 3 games.

'Of course we are worried': Tuchel names possible return date for Kante

's greatest issues in recent games has been the lack of depth in midfield thanks to various injuries.

's health is a key factor among those issues, with 

 addressing the problem in his pre-match press conference. 

"You cannot find a second N'Golo so of course we are worried," the Chelsea boss said. 

"It is likely too long a break again and we hope that he comes back to team training on Tuesday."

 games so far this season and his constantly fluctuating availability is one of the reasons for Chelsea's recent inconsistency. 

If he can return to team training by Tuesday, next Sunday's clash against 

3 reasons why Tuchel should keep playing Jorginho despite calls to drop him

 after his costly mistakes against Man United and 

The Italo-Brazilian has been disappointing lately, I'm not going to argue with that. But it doesn't mean he should be instantly disposed of and sent back to 

, as some of the most radical Blues suggest.

 caused a penalty against West Ham but other than that, his passing has been spotless.

The 29-year-old recorded a 91.9 per cent pass completion rate against the Hammers and 85.1 against United.

But pass accuracy rate alone doesn't say anything. What does is the number of progressive passes he makes — i.e. how much he contributes to Chelsea moving the ball forward.

And he's been excellent in that regard, too, recording 9 progressive passes against West Ham and 8 passes into the final third against United. Only 

 showed better numbers against the Hammers and the Red Devils, respectively.

Jorginho's defensive qualities are routinely overlooked by neutrals and Chelsea fans. 

But stats show he's been doing extremely well defensively, making 6 tackles and interceptions against 

. His made just 2 tackles and interceptions against West Ham but he did well to block passing lanes, applying 19 pressures on the Hammers players (again, only Reece James did more).

These are the numbers that he shows consistently, ranking among the best midfielders in the world by pass completion rate, number of progressive passes and interceptions.

Thomas Tuchel has proven that he is an excellent tactician, but he is also unbelievably good at man-management. He helped 

 rediscover his best form at Chelsea, did wonders with 

The gaffer should keep his faith in Jorginho, one of his lieutenants on the pitch. Playing him in spite of the recent mistakes would send a message of support to the midfielder. It could help him return to his best ahead of a crucial run of fixtures in the festive period.

All in all, Jorginho is a world-class player and remains crucial to Chelsea's possession-based style under Thomas Tuchel. Dropping him would make zero sense.

Player		G
Erling Haaland	Man City	27
Cole Palmer	Chelsea	22
Alexander Isak	Newcastle	20
Ollie Watkins	Aston Villa	19
Dominic Solanke	Bournemouth	19

'He's a human vacuum': Ex-United man Owen Hargreaves names key Chelsea player they need back

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