5 Blues Who Could Become Chelsea FC’s Next Captain

4. Nemanja Matic

When Chelsea were dominating the league last year, the entire field of play pivoted around Nemanja Matic. Matic was the inflection point with his ability to find and quietly close down space, to dispossess opposing forwards and to quickly feed the ball to Fabregas or out to the wings. His prescience in reading the opposition gave him complete mastery of the pitch, which could make him the best candidate to lead the team on the field.

Unfortunately, that was all before this season happened. Matic is not alone among his teammates in needing to recapture some of what made him and the club shine last year, but his drop-off has been particularly dramatic and consequential. His vision, his movement, even the cleanness of his tackles have all diminished this season. The results show up not just on the scoreline but in the overall disarray and sloppiness that has marked Chelsea’s 2015-16 campaign.

But Matic could be among the best suited to return to form under the new manager. If Antonio Conte institutes his 3-5-2 formation Matic could find himself slotted in between the backline and the attacking midfielders. Conte’s 4-2-4 could be equally suitable, pairing Matic with John Obi Mikel as the ultimate holding midfield pair.

A shift to tactics that play to his strengths could reignite the Serb’s form and confidence, placing him as the team’s focal point on and off the pitch.

Next: 5. Ruben Loftus-Cheek