N'Golo Kante Tottenham vs Chelsea Premier League 2018-19

Sarri airs his frustration with Kante over Tottenham showing: He attacked too much!

Maurizio Sarri has aired his frustration with N'Golo Kante after Chelsea's thumping 3-1 loss to Tottenham at the weekend.

The Blues fell to their first defeat of the season at Wembley on Saturday, with Mauricio Pochettino's side putting their London rivals to the sword.

Goals from Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son ensured Spurs took all three points, but there were a number of missed chances too, with the hosts perhaps disappointed not to score more.

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And Sarri believes Kante got carried away, as the Chelsea midfielder attempted to "solve the match" himself, leaving his defence exposed.

“I think, as you know, I want to play a central midfielder as a very technical player – a Jorginho or Fabregas," said Sarri. "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 his position. He attacked too much the other box. And I think this is not one of the best characteristics of Kante, but it was only a reaction to the difficulties.”

When asked if Kante needs more time to fully understand the role he is being asked to play, Sarri replied: “Maybe. 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.”

Chelsea face PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday, before taking on Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.

And Sarri is keen to see the Blues bounce back, after claiming they played Spurs "without determination".

"Tomorrow is an important match because I want to see a reaction, but I want to see a reaction in the next Premier League match," he added.

"I want to see we’ve learned our lessons."

Chelsea's loss to Spurs leaves them fourth in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Manchester City.

And Sarri admits that City are "a step ahead" of his side.

"The points average of Man City could see them get more than 100, I think, so it is difficult for us to keep up," he added.

"I think at the moment we shouldn't look at the table. First of all, our target is to be in the top four."

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