Rebuttal: Chelsea FC should not sell Nemanja Matic at any cost
Yesterday’s editorial in favor of Chelsea selling Nemanja Matic generated more than the usual dissent around the Pride of London. Ayushman Basu offers his rebuttal, arguing the case for Nemanja Matic as one of Chelsea FC’s indispensable players.
I feel bad for Nemanja Matic. After having a stellar 2014/15 season where he arguably established himself to be one of the best defensive-midfielders in world football, reports are again circulating that Conte is planning to offload him for the right price.
Yes, football is a cruel sport and Chelsea has done its share to make it so. But Matic has paid the club back handsomely, despite how he was sold off to Benfica without getting a chance to don the Blue jersey at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are developing a bit of an expensive habit. Chelsea sells players based on a perception that they are unwanted. Then, a few years later, Chelsea buys them back at an inflated amount well in excess of what the club received.
Hasn’t this club ever heard of a buy back clause? (see also: Lukaku, R.)
must read: Chelsea should sell Nemanja Matic if the price is right
Selling Matic will be a disastrous move for the Blues, on the pitch as well as financially.
N’Golo Kante’s arrival has not only buoyed the mood around Stamford Bridge, but has consolidated the team to a large extent. He had a brilliant season for Leicester City and his dominating presence in the midfield was a major factor in the Foxes’ championship run.
What Kante was for Leicester City in the 2015/16 season, Matic was for Chelsea in 2014/15. Matic was a rock in the midfield and was a shield for the solid but relatively slow Chelsea defence. Matic was Chelsea’s center of gravity. On the rare days he was not on the pitch, the midfield looked out of shape and unable to cope with the opposition.
In the 4-2-3-1 formation, Matic partnered with Fabgregas. Cesc’s attacking mentality brought him striding forward with the ball, leaving Matic alone in the midfield. The Serbain covered for Fabregas, scampering the whole midfield from left to right, intercepting the ball and leading successful attacks. He held possession in the midfield while connecting play with his fellow team mates.
Time and again, Matic kept the ball away from two opposition players tugging his shirt and making tackles in a bid to dispossess him. Matic was equally adept at protecting his own possession as he was dispossessing the opposition.
More from Chelsea FC News
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
- Chelsea sporting directors finally reveal why they sign so many young players
- These 3 new signings may never get a game at Chelsea
Standing at 6’4″ (much taller than Kante), Matic gives the team an aerial presence in the midfield. Matic’s used Yaya Toure as his prop to show how effectively he could shut down his opposite number, putting in a signature performance against Manchester City in the 2014/15 season
Kante’s arrival prompted the notion that Chelsea acquired the perfect replacement for Matic. This position is superficial and short-sighted.
Both midfielders have similar traits when seen in terms of defensive abilities, agility and starting attacks. If Matic leaves and Chelsea plays a 4-2-4, then Chelsea is left with a Kante-Fabregas partnership. This once again risks control of the midfield as Fabregas is not the player to fill in that role. By instinct and ability, he should be playing further forward.
Related Story: Chelsea Tactics and Transfers: Antonio Conte's 4-2-4
Matic and Kante not only complement each other as a tandem, but also serve as each other’s backup in case of injury. If Chelsea transfers Matic and then Kante gets injured, the club needs a better option than John Obi Mikel. Nemanja Matic deserves better than being used as a substitute, but Chelsea needs to be able to deploy at one least one playing in holding midfield at all times. The Matic-Kante pairing provides that option.
Matic’s slow return to form from his disappointing 2015/16 season has been cited as another reason to transfer him. By that rationale, most Chelsea players not named “Willian” should start packing their bags.
For Conte if he is failing to see who Matic really is, for Abramovich for being so discourteous towards selling him and that too at such a price, and for the Chelsea fans who have forgotten 2014, this video is for you. Let’s refresh the memory a bit, shall we?
More depressing and disrespectful is Roman Abramovich’s apparent willingness to sell Matic for a £15 million, a loss of £6 million on the deal. Selling a player at a loss is a sign of desperation, despair and disrepsect. It should be performed for a chronic underperformer, or a flat-out bust (something Chelsea is a bit familiar with). Nemanja Matic is neither.
Selling Matic would have a comparable emotional effect on the club as when Jose Mourinho was sacked for the second time. Matic’s loss will weaken Chelsea to a considerable extent. More importantly, on a more personal level, it will be hugely ungracious and insolent given the Serbian’s service to the club.
Next: Chelsea FC's top Italian players and coaches of all time
This treatment sends a message to current and prospective players: you are disposable. At a time when Chelsea is at a reduced bargaining position in the transfer market, the club cannot afford such a knock to its reputation.