Joel Amorim
When Nemanja Matic left Chelsea three years ago, probably no one would have guessed that he would be back playing for the Blues again, especially so soon. But in January, Chelsea paid Portuguese giants Benfica £21m for the Serbian international, something which stands out as bad business from a purely financial standpoint given that the Blues paid £21m along with Matic to sign David Luiz from Benfica in 2011. From a football standpoint however, it shows just how desperate the English club were to re-sign the player.
The versatile defensive midfielder joined Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year deal and has been tipped to have a great impact on the club’s engine room for years to come. Some eyebrows were raised when Matic was bought as Chelsea’s problems this season have clearly been with their strikers not scoring enough goals. Nonetheless, boss Jose Mourinho was convinced of the need to buy Matic, a player who is completely different from the one that arrived at Stamford Bridge from MTK Kosice in 2009.
Matic has made significant strides during the two-and-a-half years he spent in Portugal. The 25-year-old assumed a leadership role in Benfica’s midfield and over the last season quickly transformed himself into a key element in the team. Usually playing in front of the centre-back duo, Matic often took the job of a deep-lying playmaker when Benfica had the ball, reverting to a traditional defensive midfielder when his team were defending. The Serbian international’s impressive positional skills, alongside his considerable height – 6 foot 4 inches – gave him a significant advantage when performing his defensive duties, allowing him to win most of the long balls thrown towards his side’s midfield.
The Chelsea new-old boy had a somewhat slow start at Benfica due to the amount of quality players available in his position when he arrived at the club. However, the departures of Javi Garcia to Manchester City and Axel Witsel to Zenit St. Petersburg opened the door for Matic and the midfielder quickly showed he was a more than qualified replacement.
Speaking after Matic’s departure for Chelsea, Benfica coach Jorge Jesus labelled the Serbian one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, stating his view that players of his like only appear every ten years. The kind words from Jesus backfired though, as they caused some uproar in the team’s competitive dressing room.
Matic’s signing at Chelsea can be seen as part of a renewal project in the club’s midfield area. Despite all his quality, Frank Lampard is getting no younger, John Obi Mikel suffers from inconsistency and Ramires needs a partner to form a neat triangle. Mourinho’s 4-3-3, which can be transformed into a 4-2-3-1, lacks a defensive midfielder with Matic’s skills and the Portuguese was delighted to be able to bag the Serbian.
“He has grown as a player in Portugal and has become a fantastic all-round midfielder”, said Mourinho. “I am sure he will become a very important member of the squad and help us to achieve our ambitions.”
The 25-year-old cannot be considered a youngster anymore and has much to prove during his second stint at Stamford Bridge. He sat out Chelsea’s Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Galatasaray last week and is ineligible for the Blues due to earlier appearances with Benfica. It is in the Premier League run-in Matic will look to make his influence felt, and Mourinho is already trusting in his new acquisition as a regular starter.
Don't bet on football until you've visited Inside Bet! Interesting markets, top tips, betting facts – get all the info before you bet.
