Thomas Tuchel will expect Chelsea's own Lionel Messi to return and complete Real Madrid repeat

It has become something of a tradition after Chelsea's Champions League knockout stage matches. As the crowd inside the host stadium begins to disperse and the television interviews take place by the side of the pitch, N'Golo Kante will walk out from the tunnel and be handed the man-of-the-match award by the UEFA delegate.

The obligatory photo follows, as does the fawning on social media. This is simply what Kante does when the Champions League reaches its latter stages. He showcased that once more against Lille in February with an excellent performance in the first leg, in which he teed up Christian Pulisic's goal with a fine burst forward.

Yet that display has been something of an outlier for Kante in 2022. Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel even admitted as much after that 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. "It was not the real N'Golo Kante in recent matches," the German told BT Sport. "He has struggled a bit with his belief and in his intensity and in his game in general. It was good that he stepped up. He is our gamechanger."

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Tuchel is certainly not wrong. Kante transforms Chelsea from a very good team to a great one when at his best. Last season's Champions League triumph firmly cemented that belief – the Frenchman was outlandish good in the knockout stages and was named man of the match after both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid and the final in Porto against Manchester City.

There were no goals or assists in those games, but Kante's influence and importance were akin to that of Lionel Messi at Barcelona or Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Without him, the Blues would probably not have been able to call