Chelseas NGolo Kante lines up against his former club Leicester live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Saturday. Nike Air Max 270 Wholesale . His departure has left a gaping hole in the Foxes midfield, writes Nick Wright... When NGolo Kante arrived at Leicesters Belvoir Drive training ground for the first time last summer, the story goes that he was mistakenly directed towards the schoolboy players. The little Frenchman did not look like much at 5ft 6ins, but he soon set about defying the doubters, and over the next nine months he was a towering influence in Leicesters historic season.By the end of it, Steve Walsh, the head of recruitment who brought Kante to Leicester from French side Caen, had made a habit of telling the same joke. We play three in midfield, it went. We play Danny Drinkwater in the middle with Kante either side. Kante had been the driving force behind Leicesters title triumph, and Claudio Ranieri echoed Walshs comments after the midfielders £32m departure to Chelsea in July. If Chelsea bought Kante, its because he played as two players last season, he said. The referee counted 11 but we were 12.It was a typically good-humoured response from Ranieri, but adapting to life after Kante has been no laughing matter. The 25-year-old made more tackles and more interceptions than any other player in Europes top-five leagues last season, and seven games into the new campaign the champions sit 10 points off the top having struggled to fill the sizeable Kante-shaped gap in their midfield.Without Kantes superhuman energy in midfield, Leicester have become far more vulnerable at the back. Leicester are averaging 16 tackles and 14 interceptions per game compared to 23 and 22 last season, and with Wes Morgan and Robert Huth no longer afforded the same protection, the Foxes are now facing 5.3 shots on target per game instead of 3.7. Leicester defensive comparison (all stats per game) Season Tackles Interceptions Shots on target faced Goals conceded 2016/17 16.0 14.0 5.3 1.6 2015/16 22.9 21.6 3.7 1.0 Its little wonder theyre struggling, and its a headache for Ranieri, whose Kante succession plans were dealt a considerable blow when summer signing Nampalys Mendy hobbled off with an injury during Leicesters 0-0 draw with Arsenal back in August. Leicester had high hopes for their latest young recruit from Ligue 1, but Mendy has spent the last two months on the sidelines. Nampalys Mendy was injured during Leicesters draw with Arsenal Danny Drinkwater has taken on more defensive responsibilities in the meantime, averaging 4.3 tackles per game compared to 3.0 last season, and he has been partnered in midfield by the 21-year-old Daniel Amartey, a January signing from Danish side FC Copenhagen who spent the formative years of his career playing as a right-back. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. It has been a baptism of fire for Amartey, who only played 102 minutes of Premier League football in his first six months at the club. The Ghana internationals defensive numbers pale in comparison to Kantes contribution last season, and he was overrun during Leicesters heavy defeats to Liverpool and Manchester United.Ranieri refused to blame the youngster, however, instead pointing to a lack of collective effort from his attacking players. It is about how the midfielders play together, he said. If the strikers dont help Drinkwater and Amartey, or if the wingers dont close narrow, then it is difficult. That happened against Liverpool. Daniel Amartey has been drafted into Leicesters midfield The stats back Ranieri up, with Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton and Jamie Vardy all averaging fewer tackles per game than last season, but there have been signs of improvement in recent weeks. Leicester kept consecutive clean sheets against Porto and Southampton before the international break, and Ranieri feels Amartey is adjusting to his new role.I think Daniel improves a lot, said the Italian. I am very happy with him. He played so many matches on the flank in his previous team and sometimes in the middle as centre-back or central midfielder. Ive always believed his best position is as a central midfielder. Slowly, slowly, he is only 21 years old. It is not easy to take this position.Amarteys improvement is encouraging but he cannot compete with the dynamism of Kante, who averaged 64.0 sprints per 90 minutes last season compared to Amarteys 46.2. Its a considerable difference, and it partly explains why Kantes absence has upset the teams balance so much. NGolo Kante has played every minute of Chelseas Premier League campaign While Morgan and Huth have been exposed at one end, Leicester have become less effective at the other. Kantes driving runs through midfield were a valuable link between defence and attack last season, and Drinkwaters increased defensive workload means he is creating just 0.7 scoring chances per game compared to 1.3 last year. Leicesters attacking threat has been compromised. They have only scored eight goals in seven league games.Now everybody must understand that there is no Kante so we have to be more close, more attentive, said Ranieri earlier this season. We have to think different and close space quicker. We must be smarter.Leicester are having to change their approach and its taking time for it to come together. Kante may not have looked like much when he arrived, but he left as a giant. The midfielders role has changed at Chelsea, but Saturday afternoon could still provide a reminder of what Leicester are missing.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the British Masters on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Mahrez: Arsenal made contact How did your internationals do? Discount Shoes China . Spains victory rendered Frances 3-0 win against Finland meaningless as Spain needed just one point to secure passage to Brazil. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema scored either side of Joona Toivios own-goal as France advanced to the playoff among the eight best second-place finishers. Brand Shoes Factory Outlet . - The Detroit Lions have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on injured reserve, ending his season. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/ . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.BALTIMORE -- Humbled and embarrassed one week earlier, the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens cranked up the defence to earn another win over their favourite patsies, the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore sacked Brandon Weeden five times, finally driving him out of the game with a thumb injury in the fourth quarter of a 14-6 victory on Sunday. After yielding 49 points and 510 yards in a lopsided loss at Denver, Baltimore (1-1) kept Cleveland out of the end zone. The Ravens came into the game ranked last in the NFL in total defence. "You have to have a short memory," said Terrell Suggs, who had six tackles and a sack. "We played really good on defence." The Browns (0-2) didnt score after halftime and gained only 85 yards over the final 30 minutes. "It was huge," Ravens linebacker Daryl Smith said. "You never want to out there and play the way we did in Denver. We just couldnt wait for the next game to come." Cleveland has scored only one touchdown in its first two games under first-year coach Rob Chudzinski. "We just have to keep grinding," Chudzinski said. "We have to keep working at it. The plays are there, the things are there. Were just off a little bit." Down 6-0 at halftime, Baltimore took the lead on a 5-yard run by Bernard Pierce with 5:13 left in the third quarter. The Ravens added a touchdown with 8:57 remaining on a 5-yard pass from Joe Flacco to rookie Marlon Brown. That was enough support for a charged-up Ravens defence. "After that game against Denver, we wanted to come back today and really show what we could do," tackle Haloti Ngata said. It all added up to the Ravens 11th straight win over Cleveland, a streak that began when John Harbaugh took over as Baltimores coach before the 2008 season. Its the longest active streak for one NFL team against another. Flacco went 22 for 33 for 211 yards. Just over an hour before kickoff, his wife gave birth to the couples second child. "Anytime you have a child, its one of your best days," Flacco said. "The game didnt go exactly how we wanted it to, but thats how weve won football games around here. Sometimes you have to do it in an ugly way." In the first half, Flacco was 2 for 6 for 9 yards on third down. "I wasnt frustrated because I looked at Joe, and Joe wasnt frustrated," Brown said. After halftime, Flacco went 7 for 8 for 87 yards on third down, getting six first downs in the process. Weeden completed 21 of 33 passes for 227 yards before he hit his riight thumb on a Baltimore helmet during the follow-through. Cheap Nike Air Max 97 China. "I couldnt grip the ball, so I knew I had to come out," he said. "It really hurts. But the X-rays were negative." He was replaced by Jason Campbell with 3:34 left and Cleveland down 14-6. The Browns quickly turned the ball over on downs and Baltimore ran out the clock. Ravens running back Ray Rice left early in the fourth quarter with a strained hip flexor. He was limited to 36 yards and 13 carries before limping off the field and into the locker room. The afternoon began with the unveiling of a sign commemorating the Ravens Super Bowl victory last season. Once play began, it took Baltimore nearly 40 minutes to get on the scoreboard. "We had to take our time and be patient," Flacco said. "You know, it was only 6-0. No need to panic or get all crazy." Limited to 122 yards in the first half, the Ravens moved 80 yards in 12 plays on their opening possession of the third quarter to take a 7-6 lead. Before Pierce scored, Flacco went 3 for 3, completing all three passes on third down. The Browns led at halftime after Billy Cundiff kicked field goals of 21 and 51 yards, and Justin Tucker, who replaced Cundiff in Baltimore last season, missed from 50 and 44. Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor shoved Rice in the facemask after the games second play from scrimmage, turning a third-and-13 into a first down. But Tucker misfired to end the 12-play drive. Clevelands first offensive play was a 53-yard pass to Jordan Cameron, setting up Cundiffs first field goal. The games next eight possessions ended with punts. The trend turned just before halftime, when a 27-yard completion from Flacco to Torrey Smith led to another missed field goal try by Tucker. Cleveland then moved 33 yards before Cundiff connected with 11 seconds left. The second half, however, belonged to Baltimore. The Browns made only five first downs after halftime and finished 4 for 15 on third downs. "We had a great camp, a great preseason," wide receiver Davone Bess said. "Were just not making the necessary plays. Third down, weve got to be able to own that down, and be able to execute in the critical moments of the game." Notes: Ravens DL Chris Canty sustained a groin injury. ... Browns LB Quentin Groves sprained his ankle. X-rays were negative. ... Ravens CB Chykie Brown strained his knee. ... DE Paul Kruger, who left Baltimore to sign as a free agent with Cleveland during the off-season, had three tackles and no sacks. ' ' '