Nemanja Matic

[The Skipper 20,593]

I think he had a solid game today but don't know why people are saying he was immense... That was just an average Matic game, we haven't seen him at his best yet.

[Wolfe_21 21]

I think he had a solid game today but don't know why people are saying he was immense... That was just an average Matic game, we haven't seen him at his best yet.

That's for sure.

[mannyfreshh 164]

Matic was good today.. Let's hope he continues to play well during league play .. Matic + Vidal next year???

[Parky 739]

I like what I saw, a big presence that can defend and distribute the ball well. Has good technique and very comfortable on the ball andl he will try take on players when necessary.

We should be playing Lampard more next to Matic..

[francozola 2,040]

Shit, so this is what we've been missing these last few years. He was boss in midfield. So mobile, athletic and a good forward passer to top it off. Can't wait to see him get comfortable with our team. Very, very promising.

[happy_juan 64]

Mikel fanboys are panicking crazy.

[robsblubot 3,215]

He had a good debut.

Thought our midfield was a bit on the slow side though; you could see that in quick transitions, only the AMs and Eto were involved. Neither Lamps nor Matic joined them. * watched recording so could pay attention to those things.

Still rely heavily on Ramires to do the B2B thingy, or perhaps MVG once he'd back. Don't think Lamps has the legs for that any more.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

It was only a matter of time before Mikel's name is mentioned. predictable.

Maybe because he's the guy in direct competition with Matic for a place in the XI?

[lionsden 4,689]

Maybe because he's the guy in direct competition with Matic for a place in the XI?

We all know there's a clear agenda against Mikel and he's been the most divisive player on every Chelsea forum for years. His critics never miss the opportunity to lay into him and Excalibur KTBFFH snide comment reflected that. Mikel never stood a chance as It was never going to be a fair and objective comparison from the get go.

[Fernando 6,375]

Mikel best game ever for Chelsea was champions League final.

After that he hasn't been that great.

Thank God we got matic.

[Rekin 835]

If/when MVG returns to form after his injury I think he would be the best partner to Matic.
Considering that Matic is excellent in the defense yet offers plenty to the offensive I wonder if we would not benefit more from a creator next to him, or at the very least a player more skilled higher up in the pitch.

Do not get me wrong, Ramires is excellent at what he does but he is lacking in some areas. So far he was very important because he offered a combination of both attack and defense (which no other player in the team did), but now that Matic can do the same thing basically, I would be curious to see how it would look with a player allowed to roam forward more (and being better at it). MVG might not be that player until the 2015/16 season, but I think it would be a very interesting experiment. Something similar to Matic - Modric, it would offer steel in the back and silky passing to the attackers.

Anyway, I am very happy about having him in the team, it is in itself a huge upgrade. It is just that we should never stop trying to improve, the next step might be to find the best partnership in the middle (in which I consider Matic to be the first name [i realise this is premature after one game, but Im going after what I have seen so far]).
I am not for buying player after player, so we should try to solve this internally first (still, it is quite sexy to imagine someone like Modric or Gundogan next to him. The best name would be Yaya but Im not even going to go there).

[The only place to be 11,313]

Maybe because he's the guy in direct competition with Matic for a place in the XI?

But...but...but....a gender

Of course he's going to be compared to the player who he is closest to in the squad in terms of style and who he will be competing with for a spot. Oscar has been endlessly compared to Mata as well. It's what fans do.

Hope to see Matic build on his debut. He looked good but a few passes were a bit sloppy and I expect him to start against West Ham as well.

[bababoom 4,478]

The way he pressed in the midfield was fucking great, in the first half there was a stage where Stoke couldn't get out of their own half, our whole team was pressing high like crazy, Matic was a big part of that.

Lampard also played further up the pitch, which is a plus, but i honestly cant wait for Matic-Ramires... it's going to be unbelievable. I think we're going to see the team pressing higher and more frequently, with the inclusion of Matic it seems like we can do it without being exposed. This is why Jose didn't fancy Mata, forget that not tracking back bullshit (which the pundits still say by the way..), Mata can track back, but he struggles to press high up the pitch. It's all about that high pressing, Willian/Schurrle/Salah , Hazard and Oscar can do that.

Watch this Mourinho post Fulham Interview, this is what he wants. (Minute 3:25)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ51HzMSz4Q

[The only place to be 11,313]

This is why Jose didn't fancy Mata, forget that not tracking back bullshit (which the pundits still say by the way..), Mata can track back, but he struggles to press high up the pitch. It's all about that high pressing, Willian/Schurrle/Salah , Hazard and Oscar and can do that.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

The way he pressed in the midfield was fucking great, in the first half there was a stage where Stoke couldn't get out of their own half, our whole team was pressing high like crazy, Matic was a big part of that.

Lampard also played further up the pitch, which is a plus, but i honestly cant wait for Matic-Ramires... it's going to be unbelievable. I think we're going to see the team pressing higher and more frequently, with the inclusion of Matic it seems like we can do it without being exposed. This is why Jose didn't fancy Mata, forget that not tracking back bullshit (which the pundits still say by the way..), Mata can track back, but he struggles to press high up the pitch. It's all about that high pressing, Willian/Schurrle/Salah , Hazard and Oscar can do that.

Watch this Mourinho post Fulham Interview, this is what he wants. (Minute 3:25)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ51HzMSz4Q

This^^

Mourinho doesn't want to turn our attackers to center backs as the media assume, he wants them pressing high constantly which causes pressure on the opposition while keeping our defense safe.

[The Chels 2,502]

Video on his touches that I found although it doesn't have any sound. His passing was arguably a little erratic at times but I think it was likely due to nerves and the fact that he's always looking to play a forward pass, which is very refreshing to see. Some of his passes later on in the game were excellent - the one to Oscar before Schurrle hit the crossbar and the one to Ramires for the penalty incident, in particular. Indeed as the game progressed he settled into it very well and was a very composed presence that gave assurance to the midfield and as such more liberty to the forward players (as did Stoke's lack of attacking imagination, in fairness). Imagine how deadly the pivot could be with a world class DLP next to him! I don't feel Ramires cuts it personally, because for all his athleticisim, he's just not good enough technically.

[Jase 43,479]

Matic's heatmap against Stoke, if anyone is interested...

[Eidur the Spider 4,515]

Ivanovic: "Matic was my best mate the last time he was here. Now, for me, he is like my brother. It is a pleasure to have him here" #CFC

Couldn't resist!