Nemanja Matic is flourishing alongside N’Golo Kante in Chelsea’s midfield. The lanky Serb hopes to win his third league title as part of his resurgence.
Nemanja Matic was the pivot point for the entire run of play in Chelsea’s title-winning 2014/15 season. Nearly every ball through midfield in both directions came through his zone of influence. He led Chelsea with 3.6 tackles and two interceptions per game. Once he recovered the ball, everything would shift around him as he transitioned the play up-field.
Like most of his teammates, his form starkly dropped last season. N’Golo Kante’s signing during the summer seemed to herald the end of Matic’s second stint at Chelsea. Antonio Conte – as he did with several Blues on the brink – publicly and privately built up Matic’s place in the squad.
As the centre of the 3-4-3, Matic and Kante have built one of the most dynamic midfield partnerships in the Premier League. Matic’s size and awareness of space allows him to take control of much of the pitch, deflecting and shaping the opposition’s play even if he is not near the ball. This complements Kante’s indefatigable energy.
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Matic and Kante have mastered how to apply pressure and occupy space at one spot on the pitch to influence play at another. Wherever one goes, the other knows exactly where and when to move in balance.
Matic tilts the pitch towards Kante’s kill zone. Kante finishes the job with tackles, interceptions and disruption.
"I don’t know if this is my best form for Chelsea, but I always try to give everything for the team. I have been doing that since the first day that I came here, sometimes I’m better, sometimes it’s not enough. – Evening Standard"
Matic is targeting his second Premier League title with Chelsea and his third league title overall. He won Portugal’s Primeira Liga when he was at Benfica in 2013/14. “I haven’t won a lot in my career,” Matic said.
Nemanja Matic’s success alongside N’Golo Kante is another testament to how effectively Antonio Conte manages both tactics and motivation. Conte could have replaced Matic or built a midfield with Kante as the sole focal point. Instead, he refurbished Matic to be the player he needed for the system he designed.
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Conte’s legacy will be the players he produces, as much as the titles he wins. Nemanja Matic will be one such player, with hopefully a few more titles to his name.