When you consider his qualities James Milner could be described as Liverpool’s answer to Chelsea's N’Golo Kante.
This season’s displays have been so all-consuming that, like Kante, he is akin to two central midfield players rolled into one.
Cruising speed
Consistently running his opponents to a standstill, Milner leads the Premier League for distance covered per 90 minutes and also for average speed.
By comparison, Kante, a player famed for his coverage, is rated 23rd (11.4km) and 20th (7.2km/h) in those same categories.
So provided Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League semi-final has not taken too much out of him, Milner has what it takes to win the physical battle with his Frenchman adversary at Stamford Bridge.
Most distance covered/90min
| 2017/18 | Club | Km |
|---|---|---|
| Milner | LIV | 13.16 |
| Gosling | BOU | 13.05 |
| Ward-Prowse | SOU | 12.64 |
Highest average speed/90min
| 2017/18 | Club | Km/h |
|---|---|---|
| Milner | LIV | 8.04 |
| Gosling | BOU | 7.99 |
| Gross | BHA | 7.97 |
Midfield block
Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum work well alongside Milner, forging a powerful triumvirate, so a big performance from Kante will be required to counter the Red machine.
The 27-year-old has missed the kind of physical support Nemanja Matic supplied in Chelsea’s last title-winning campaign, and has to shoulder more responsibility alongside Cesc Fabregas and/or Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Chasing a third successive victory at Chelsea, it is a Milner-inspired Liverpool who appear favourites to win the key midfield battle.
Also in this series
Part 1: Rice impressing with 'clean' art of defending
Part 2: Redmond adds to threat of Southampton
Part 3: Unsung Milner the driving force for Liverpool