Tuesday 27 October 2015 18:14, UK
Nemanja Matic’s struggles have had a knock-on effect for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, argues Adam Bate...
When Cesc Fabregas repeatedly spoke of the trust Jose Mourinho had placed in him in last season, there was a sense in which even the player himself appreciated that the Chelsea manager had gone against his instincts. Mourinho had constructed a team that incorporated a deep playmaker as well as an attack-minded winger in Eden Hazard. It was Nemanja Matic who helped make that possible.
Of course, there were other factors, too. Mourinho had already switched Cesar Azpilicueta to left-back in recognition of the need to give Hazard maximum protection, while the Belgian had shown an admirable willingness to work smarter. In addition, Fabregas was a little more mindful of his defensive duties. But the support was always there. "I go a little further forward than him and he covers when I do," said the Spaniard.
Fabregas was talking about the omnipresent Matic. "I like him a lot because of his stability," said Mourinho upon the Serb's arrival and that's precisely what he provided, making sense of Chelsea's more expansive approach. It was not a coincidence that the only Premier League game Matic missed before Christmas of last season was also the only one Chelsea lost.
His job was to cover for Fabregas's obvious defensive deficiencies and with John Terry's enduring presence meaning Chelsea continued to prefer a deeper defensive block, there was plenty of pitch to patrol. Fortunately, it was clear when speaking to Matic last season, he understood his role perfectly. "In a team like Chelsea I have to be defensive," he told Sky Sports.
"Of course, I know that I have some qualities. I think I can run a lot." It was an endearingly simplistic perspective on his own contribution. But run he did. According to the tracking data, Matic was one of only eight players - and the only one at a top-four team - to cover more than 400 kilometres in last season's Premier League. It helped mask Chelsea's weaknesses.
It was always a delicate balance but nobody - not even Mourinho himself - could have anticipated the dire consequences that could come if Matic was unable to perform at the levels of early last season. With the benefit of hindsight, however, there had been hints. As long ago as the spring, Mourinho was fielding questions about Matic's dip in form.
In response, with the focus on seeing the season through, Chelsea had opted for a more cautious approach in a number of key games with Kurt Zouma partnering Matic in midfield, Ramires seeing more action in the wide positions and Fabregas pushed into the No 10 role. Perhaps Mourinho was encouraged to believe that a summer break would allow the form and fitness of last autumn to return.
As a result, with the ongoing expectation that Chelsea should adopt a more adventurous approach, he reverted back to the Matic-Fabregas partnership this season. The move was swiftly punished. Much of the focus has been on Fabregas's failure to contribute offensively but it's the team's inability to contain opponents that has been the key issue this term.
Chelsea have conceded 19 goals this season and it has not been down to luck. Only Sunderland and Newcastle have faced more shots on target. The defence has not been protected. "This Chelsea back four, that we knew if exposed could potentially have problems, are now having problems," Gary Neville told Sky Sports. "It's now happening time and time again because of those lads in front."
The problems were apparent in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and it proved particularly costly later that month as David Silva was afforded far too much space in Manchester City's 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium. Matic was left alone to deal with the City playmaker and was unable to get close enough to limit Silva's influence.
By the time of the next game against West Brom, Matic was starting to look a little lost. He endured a poor start to the game, conceding a penalty, and was booked soon after. It was not until the trip to Goodison Park to face Everton in September that Mourinho addressed Matic's need for support but the decision to offer it in the form of the increasingly static John Obi Mikel did not help.
Fabregas was back alongside Matic at Newcastle and it was here that the midfielder was substituted when 2-0 down. Dropped for the trip to Porto, he suffered the ignominy of being introduced and then withdrawn in the next game against Southampton. Mourinho is well aware of the need to bolster his players' confidence but Matic's has been compromised. The manager knew it too.
"Confidence is fundamental," said Mourinho last week. "You see Matic lost an easy pass against Aston Villa. The first reaction he had was to show disappointment by throwing his arms. When you are full of confidence you don't show disappointment. You make a mistake, you know you're not going to make a mistake after. So, calm, let's go.
"I try to make him choose the decisions that are more difficult to make a mistake. When you're a little bit fragile make it simple. Make the right decision, take the ball out of the pressure zone. Don't be worried about making a beautiful pass. Make sure you don't lose the ball, because when you lose the ball you lose confidence."
There were positive signs against Dynamo Kiev last week with Mourinho keen to talk up his midfielder after the team's goalless draw - a second consecutive clean sheet. "Matic was tremendous," he said. "He was phenomenal. His work with Ramires in the centre of the pitch was really impressive. I see progress clearly."
But, of course, this progress has not only been undermined by Matic's subsequent red card in the defeat at West Ham, the mere fact that Ramires was alongside him underlines the point that it has come at a cost. No longer able to make the Matic-Fabregas partnership work and forced to place renewed emphasis on the defensive work of the wide men, Chelsea's creativity has been curtailed.
According to Opta, no team created more clear-cut chances than Chelsea last year. Indeed, they failed to fashion a point-blank chance in only three of their home games. This season they've been unable to carve out such an opening in three of their first five. The focus on "the difference between defending with 10 players and defending with nine or eight" - as Mourinho mentioned in a recent press conference - has left Chelsea looking limited.
It's a problem. Not the only problem at Stamford Bridge right now, on the pitch or off it, but one that has underpinned much of what we've seen from Chelsea this season. Matic - the man Mourinho called his "monster" - helped Chelsea become champions. Mourinho's belated acceptance that Matic is the one who now needs help, could be key to any hope of a revival.
