Nemanja Matic – Maybe the next Roy Keane?

0
1288

Nemanja Matic once again proved why Jose Mourinho was not hesitant to splash £40 million for his services as Manchester United were at their mercurial best against West Ham.
Employed as a deep holding midfielder, he was the reason West Ham’s midfield lacked any sort of fluidity to complement their new look, threatening attack.

His contribution towards Lukaku’s opener was eloquent. His close pressing prompted the ball to ricochet off his foot and fall into the feet of Marcus Rashford. Any other midfielder would think he had done his job and watch the attack unfold in front of his eyes, but not Nemanja!
Embed from Getty Images

Read: Man Utd legend overjoyed by Arsenal’s comeback

He matched Rashford’s pace, going down his left; leaving Winston Reid confused on whether to stay close to his defensive partner Ogbonna or mark Matic’s run. In that split second of hesitation, Rashford played in Lukaku who duly thundered the ball in off the post for his first United goal. Magical.

He is what United have lacked all these years. A sturdy midfielder, who has the height to cause damage during set pieces. He also can run and dribble with the ball, an added advantage given his huge frame. A perfect definition of a box-to-box midfielder.

He seemed to be everywhere; busy helping out the defence when West Ham threatened, although it was a rarity on the night; helping in almost every attack by keeping the ball ticking in an around midfield.

Such tireless contribution to the team has justified his comparisons with a United great, Roy Keane.

Roy Keane was not blessed with the best footballing ability, but it was his sheer determination and grit in winning the ball back and attacking that led to his adoration among the fans. He didn’t care about fancy footwork for he mastered the art of simplicity.

Nemanja Matic’s inclusion has a lot of positives for Manchester United. He can provide able defensive cover for the back four; and can bring out the best attacking ability from his fellow midfielders.

Mata and Pogba; who for most of last season had to track back and help out to douse the opposition attack as United were pegged back no longer have to do so, at least not as frequently as they did last season. Mata during his best years at Chelsea was largely allowed to roam free behind the attack to devastating effect; Pogba on the other hand, while with Juventus was at his best with a world-class defensive midfield behind him.
Freeing them up will open up a lot of avenues for Manchester United, and perhaps they shall not be toothless in attack.

While Kante took plaudits last season for revelling in his midfield role, Matic performed his equally important role while under the invisibility cloak perfectly. Chelsea’s loss is United’s gain.

Every dominant Premier League side in their prime had a defensive midfielder at the top of his game. Maybe Matic is the one United need, and have needed for quite some time.

Read: Chelsea trying to hijack United’s potential transfer target.