Nemanja Matic joined Chelsea in January 2014, just three years after leaving the club as part of the deal for David Luiz. The Serbian midfielder had previously signed for the club in 2009 but was unable to break into the first team. However, he quickly established himself at Benfica as the sort of domineering central midfielder that Jose Mourinho likes to build his sides around.
Having been cup-tied for last season’s European campaign, 2014-15 is the first opportunity for Matic to participate in every competition for the Blues and he has been exceptional thus far. In 12 appearances he has scored twice and notched one assist, while completing 87 percent of his passes on average.
He struggled to adjust to the high line deployed in the early games of the season, in particular against Everton and Manchester City. The unfamiliar tactic saw him caught in possession out of position, leaving acres of space behind him for the opposition to exploit. However, he has since adapted to this style of play and has been an immense presence since the 3-0 win over Aston Villa at the end of September.
One of the keys to Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season has been the partnership that Matic has forged with Cesc Fabregas. The two players complement each other perfectly, with Matic’s defensive diligence giving the Spanish playmaker license to roam forward and join the attack.
Between them, the duo have completed an average of 149 passes per game, a key indicator of their dominance in the middle of the park. Matic has also completed more tackles in the Premier League than any other Chelsea player this season, averaging 3.1 per game.
His best performance so far this season came against old rivals Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League when his goal from a Fabregas assist saw the Blues take three points back to London. During that game, Matic made six tackles and had possession for 6.2 percent of the game, with only Fabregas seeing more of the ball than the Serbian. Mourinho was full of praise for Matic after the game, telling the press per Simon Johnson at The Evening Standard : “Matic was a monster. We played so well, so compact and with so much control. Again the four defenders, plus Matic and Cesc Fabregas had complete dominance in the game.”
Since returning to Chelsea, Matic has stabilised a midfield that has regularly looked unbalanced since Mourinho left the club in 2007.
He may not contribute as many goals and assists as his midfield partner this season, but the role he plays has drawn comparisons with Claude Makelele, a key player from Mourinho’s first spell in charge. Although the two players differ in their styles, and size, their ability to break down the opposition in the middle of the pitch is a vital part of the team dynamic.
John Obi Mikel and Ramires have both been called upon to fulfil the Makelele role in recent years, with varying success. Mikel may have had his best game for the Blues in Munich in 2012 but has never reached the level required to dominate the midfield week-in, week-out. Ramires was supposed to balance out Mikel’s lack of forward mobility, but his poor positional awareness and penchant for badly timed tackles make him more of a liability than the lynchpin of a successful side.
Matic has shown that he does not suffer from these issues. His size gives him an intimidating presence, while his range of passing and awareness of his teammates means that he can calculate his runs to better effect. When you take into consideration his high fitness level and virtually unblemished injury history, it is clear that Matic will be Mourinho’s main man in midfield this season.
Statistics via WhoScored.com
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1rG1byS
via IFTTT October 31, 2014 at 04:01AM
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