The 29-year-old was exceptional on his Premier League debut for the Red Devils as he shone in the 4-0 drubbing against the Hammers
MANCHESTER UNITED couldn’t have wished for a better start to the 2017/18 Premier League season as they thrashed West Ham United 4-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho’s side were solid defensively and exhilarating in attack, with new man Romelu Lukaku bagging a brace on his Old Trafford debut.
But it was another new arrival who drew most of the plaudits. Defensive midfield anchor Nemanja Matic produced a near flawless performance at the base of the United midfield; our friends at Football Whispers are on hand to break down what the powerful Serbian did so well and how he freed up Paul Pogba.
There were mixed opinions voiced online among United fans when the first murmurings of their club making a move for Chelsea midfielder Matic emerged.
Some felt the powerful Serbian was exactly what the Red Devils needed to shore up their midfield and free Pogba from the shackles of his defensive responsibilities.
But there were plenty who felt that the 29-year-old’s best days were behind him and that, despite winning the league with the Blues last season, he had regressed irreversibly from his 2014/15 peak, now immobile and only looking passable at the highest level thanks to N’Golo Kante’s presence alongside him.
If Matic’s solid displays in a friendly against Sampdoria earlier this month and the UEFA Super Cup exposed a few holes in that theory, his performance on Sunday against West Ham went a long way towards eradicating any doubts over his current level of ability.
At the base of the United midfield for the visit of Slaven Bilic’s Hammers, Matic looked completely at ease and had no trouble covering ground to snuff out opposition attacks before they gained any momentum.
Without the ball, he was a barrier in front of the United backline, sweeping up and using his refined anticipation to read play, tackle and intercept. Matic won two tackles, made one interception and won four aerial duels, using his physicality and experience to dominate the central midfield zone.
But it was with the ball at his feet that Matic most impressed, showcasing a wonderful range of passion, razor-sharp vision and a deftness of touch that many thought the former Benfica man was incapable of.
No player made more passes than Matic (69) at Old Trafford on Sunday, with 85.5 per cent of his attempts to pick out a team-mate successful.
Whether over long or short distances, the 6ft 4ins destroyer conducted play in a way reminiscent of United club captain Michael Carrick, while authoritatively controlling proceedings like former Red Devils skipper Roy Keane.
Making a mockery of the claims that he lacks athleticism and mobility, Matic zipped around the park with and without the ball, gliding across the turf and even completing a remarkable seven take-ons, a figure no other player – including gifted dribblers such as Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – could match.
Matic’s ability to anchor the United midfield allowed Pogba more license to roam into advanced areas, which is largely what the Serbian was brought to Old Trafford to do.
The gifted Frenchman produced some breath-taking moments of creativity and invention in the final third and capped off a stellar display by curling a 25-yard effort beyond Joe Hart late on.
With Matic behind him, Pogba looked comfortable when breaking forward, no longer fearful of losing the ball in high areas for the opposition to break in behind him; he knew that, should that happen, his new midfield partner would be ready and waiting to extinguish any danger.
Of course, only one game into the new Premier League season, it’s far too early to hail Matic as an overwhelming success for United. But if he is able to produce displays of that quality on a consistent basis, that £35million fee will soon look like a bargain.
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