Namaqua Features Nemanja Matic...
Namaqua Features Nemanja Matic...
A quality box-to-box midfielder is often the driving force behind a successful football team. He must be a complete player in how he attacks and how he defends. In this Namaqua feature, we look at players both past and present who have enjoyed success in this role… This week's focus is on Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic A former Chiefs Bucs coach spotted Matic! There is a distinct South African connection when it comes to the story of Nemanja Matic's rise to becoming, arguably, the world's most effective box-to-box midfielder. An outcast in his early teenage years as a player, he was unwanted by Serbian sides Crvena Zvezda and Partizan Belgrade. These European football backwaters failed to recognize what the 6 foot 4 inch star had to offer. In fact, at the age of 18, he was still playing third-flight football for Jedinstvo Ub, and a career in the bright lights with Europe's elite seemed little more than a pipe dream. Were it not for the intervention of a certain Vladimir Vermezovic, fans at Stamford Bridge may today not be witnessing his outstanding tackling numbers and 87.1 percent passing success rate. It was the ex-Pirates mentor who gave Matic his first big break. The former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates coach, a well-known figure to SA fans for his rather aggressive style of coaching, spotted the then unheralded 19-year-old and recommended him to Serbia's U21 coach, Slobodan Krcmarevic. After later impressing at the European U21 Championship, Chelsea swooped to sign him in 2009. Despite the sudden rise to fame, he remained firmly in the background in London. After a loan spell at Vitesse in Holland, he was sold in 2011 to Benfica in a part-exchange deal for the unorthodox Brazilian defender, David Luiz. While he never quite cracked it in his first season with Chelsea, his move to Portugal proved to be the finishing school he needed to become the complete player he is today. Jose Mourinho has virtually built his entire team around Matic and that, perhaps, says it all! He facilitates quality possession for Hazard Fabregas It's easy to see why Matic appeals to Mourinho. He is more mobile and physically robust than John Obi Mikel, and his height gives Chelsea added security when defending set-pieces. His mental resilience also stands out – he is, after all, a player who suffered countless rejections on his road to the top. Even at Benfica he started out as a substitute before Javi Garcia's departure to Manchester City finally saw him get his chance. Coach Jorge Jesus converted him into a holding midfielder rather than more of a playmaker. He never looked back, later winning Portugal's Player of the Season award. It was this switch that has helped mould him into the box-to-box midfielder he is for the Blues today. The Serbian international has learned the art of destructive tackling, and is a hugely effective distributor as well. His educated left foot and ability to keep the ball in impossibly tight spaces are attributes that stand out. He may never offer the goal threat of a Chelsea central midfield legend like Frank Lampard, and his numbers in this regard are also far lower than goalscoring box-to-box stars such as Yaya Toure and Paul Pogba, but he is by far a more destructive ball winner and he facilitates quality possession for the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Willian further forward. In essence, he drives Chelsea forward while also protecting the back four magnificently as well. What more can you ask of a world-class box-to-box midfielder?
