Moving Target – Nemanja Matic

Manchester United made their third acquisition of the summer yesterday, by completing the signing of Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic for a reported fee of £40 million.

The Serbia international, who turned 29 this week, put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option to extend for a further year. According to United boss Jose Mourinho, the new arrival boasts the traits that both he and the club look for in a player:

“Nemanja is a Manchester United player and a Jose Mourinho player. He represents everything we want in a footballer; loyalty, consistency, ambition, team player.”

The History

Matic began his senior career at FK Kolubara in his native Serbia in 2005 before joining Slovakian side FC VSS Košice two years later.

After playing more than 50 matches over the following two seasons, he earned a move to Chelsea in August 2009.

He failed to make the grade in his first stint at Stamford Bridge, though, and following a loan spell at Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, joined Benfica in January 2011 as part of the deal that took David Luiz to west London.

The midfielder enjoyed a successful spell in Portugal, registering nine goals and one assist in 97 appearances in all competitions, and performed well enough to convince Chelsea to re-sign him for £21 million in January 2014.

Matic instantly made an impact in the Chelsea midfield and was a key member of their 2014/15 title winning side.

He won a second Premier League winners medal last season and has, over the last three seasons, produced four goals and 14 assists in 104 league outings.

Capped 11 times at U21 level, Matic made his senior debut for Serbia in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Poland in December 2008.

He has made 32 appearances for his country, with his only goal coming against Portugal in March 2015.

The Prospects

While Matic is himself unlikely to be much of a factor in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), his arrival at Old Trafford could well boost the stock of a number of United assets.

The Serbian is available at 5.0 in FPL, and although he did finish with a respectable 105 points last season, it’s unlikely you’ll want to use one of your three United slots on a defensive midfielder.

He’s priced at 8.3 in Sky Sports and while he may benefit from completed passes and tackles-made bonus points, appears unlikely to offer great value.

Matic only averaged a shot every 134.85 minutes last term and despite the eight assists, he only produced a key pass 103.73 minutes, which was, for example, far inferior to new United team-mate Ander Herrera (68.53).

The Spaniard, along with Paul Pogba, shared responsibilities in United’s midfield for much of last season, but with neither player particularly defensively-minded, the addition of Matic should allow the pair to focus on what they do best.

Matic looks set to start as the holding midfielder for United, perhaps most often in a 4-1-4-1 formation, although Mourinho could equally roll out a 4-2-3-1 and even a 3-5-2, which was used in the 3-0 friendly win over Valerenga, among other systems, with relative ease.

Standing six foot four inches tall, Matic offers plenty of physicality in the middle of the park and is positionally very disciplined, while he is also under-rated as a passer of the ball.

The 28-year-old thrived in his final full season under Mourinho in 2014/15. Indeed, he was ranked top for attempted tackles (207), successful tackles (129), recoveries (312) and Clearances, Blocks and Interceptions (198) among FPL midfielders.

In that Chelsea side, Matic benefitted from players like Willian and Oscar pressing high up the pitch, meaning his lack of pace and mobility was rarely exposed.

Herrera and perhaps Henrikh Mkhitaryan could occupy similar roles in this United side, with Pogba assigned to the “Fabregas role” as the roaming playmaker with few defensive responsibilities.

Matic was somewhat reinvented last season, with his ability to create from deep and to drive at the opposition defence coming to the fore as N’Golo Kante filled the spaces vacated by the Serbian in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-2-1 formation.

But it’s unlikely we’ll see this version of Matic too often this season, given the presence of Herrera and Pogba, although in certain matches he could operate alongside Michael Carrick and be given slightly more freedom to push forward.

Comparing Matic and Pogba’s heatmaps from last season, the similarities are striking. We can surely expect to see a major difference between the pair as the new season develops.

Paul Pogba vs Nemanja Matic – Touches Heatmap – 2016/17 Season

While Pogba operated in both a two and three-man midfield in 2016/17, Matic almost exclusively played in a two alongside Kante once Conte switched to a three-man backline during the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal last September.

Pogba’s tendency to vacate his starting position in central midfield often caused United problems last season.

The Frenchman would drift forward when starting in the double-pivot in a 4-2-3-1, leaving the remaining central midfielder extremely isolated.

But with Matic now expected to operate in front of the back four, flanked by Pogba (left) and Herrera (right) slightly further up the pitch, the former Juventus player should be handed more freedom to roam in those inside left channels.

Pogba tallied just five goal and four assists in FPL last season, but the arrival of Matic could prove to be the catalyst for a far more productive campaign this time around, with the France international also in contention to play in a central support role in the 4-2-3-1.

It was in a three-man midfield in Italy where Pogba was able to total eight goals and three assists in 2014/15, and eight goals and 12 assists the following season.

In 2015/16, Pogba averaged a shot every 24.35 minutes for Juventus, which fell to 28.37 at Old Trafford last season.

So should he be handed more freedom to push forward, there’s every chance he can post similar numbers to those he achieved during his time in Italy.

The 24-year-old hit the woodwork six times last term. With a bit more luck, he should be able to near the 10-goal mark, particularly if he is handed penalty duties ahead of Romelu Lukaku.

Priced at 8.0 in FPL, Pogba certainly looks set to be far more prominent in our FPL seasons.

But it isn’t just Pogba who could benefit from the arrival of Matic.

The Serbian’s presence in front of the defence should also boost the prospects of the United rearguard.

As already stated, he was a huge part of the Chelsea side that dominated in 2014/15, when the Blues kept an eye-catching 17 clean sheets – one more than they managed last season.

With Herrera able to cover large distances, and wide players such as Mkhitaryan, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard particularly diligent in their defensive duties, the United backline should be well protected.

Although many Fantasy managers had earmarked Victor Lindelof as the cheap route into the United defence, doubts over whether the Swede will start the season as Eric Bailly’s partner may mean we have to look elsewhere.

Phil Jones has been paired with Bailly throughout pre-season, and with Mourinho stating Lindelof “needs time” to adjust to his new surroundings, opting for the former Benfica defender in our Gameweek 1 squads looks a risky proposition.

But United’s hugely promising opening schedule (WHM swa LEI sto EVE sot CPL) certainly warrants investment in Mourinho’s backline.

Bailly himself is available at 6.0 in FPL, but despite his reasonable BPS numbers, a lack of goal threat hinders his appeal.

Antonio Valencia, meanwhile, sets us back 6.5. Given his return of one goal and three assists last season, that may deter potential suitors.

Goalkeeper David de Gea has emerged as a popular option. Sitting in 27.9% of FPL squads, despite making just 74 saves last season, his greater security of starts may yet see him begin the campaign as the safest option.

Owned by 5.5% of FPL managers, Matic will also provide Mourinho with the tactical flexibility he craves in order to negate the strengths of the opposition.

Although Matic may take some time to get up to speed given that he hasn’t featured for Chelsea during pre-season, his influence should be crucial as the campaign develops.

Following a season where United players generally struggled for Fantasy relevance, Matic’s arrival, along with that of Lukaku, should mean their assets feature far more prominently this time around.

Further Reference

Nemanja Matic Wikipedia

Nemanja Matic Transfer Markt Page

Nemanja Matic You Tube Highlights