Chelsea: Matic and Mazacar in the mix for all-time best partnerships
3. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas (Hugo Amaya)
Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas were the perfect combination in midfield. The perfect ying and yang. The defensive and the creative. Under Jose Mourinho, these two controlled any midfield.
At first glance their partnership seemed odd, almost sluggish. But the duo were a formidable balance of tactical and technical ability.
On one hand there was the magician, Fabregas, whom, as we all know, wore the magic hat. The Spanish international made every play look like a game of chess. With his short and long passes, he opened the space for players to run into. This allowed for a great build up and counter-attacking play, depending on the circumstances of the game. His vision and magical touch provided many assists and opportunities for the forwards.
On the other hand, there was Matic, the one who did the dirty work. While Fabregas had his sights on the opposition’s half of the field, Matic was more concerned with what happened on his end. With his physical power and intelligence, Matic was capable of shutting down any attack, in the air or on the ground. He always kept things simple with his passes and was always ready to close down the space Fabregas could not.
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To top it all off, he had a great left foot. Although he did not use it too often, when he did, it usually turned into an outrageous goal (just ask Tottenham).
These two players were the perfect complement for each other: what one couldn’t do, the other was an expert at. Jose Mourinho’s 2014 Chelsea was almost too formidable, and these two players were at the core of its success.