Nemanja Matic returns to Chelsea as Jose Mourinho’s midfield enforcer and as Manchester United’s defensive cloak
Many Blues fans were happy to see Matic go, even if they were less impressed that he was reuniting with Jose Mourinho. They believed that the proposed axis of N’Golo Kante and £40m new boy Tiemoue Bakayoko would take the Blues on
THE acid test will come on Sunday — and Chelsea fear Nemanja Matic will be returning to bite them.
Serbian enforcer Matic was a surprise summer casualty as Antonio Conte cashed in on the £40million two-time champion by letting him join Manchester United.
Many Blues fans were happy to see Matic go, even if they were less impressed that he was reuniting with Jose Mourinho.
They believed that the proposed axis of N’Golo Kante and £40m new boy Tiemoue Bakayoko would take the Blues on.
Fast forward three months and Matic returns to Stamford Bridge this weekend as the driving force of Mourinho’s Red Devils, while the void at the heart of the Chelsea midfield was brutally exposed by Roma.
Matic, 29, has become the protective cloak of a United backline that has been breached only five times in 14 Prem and Champions League games.
And as Blues keeper Thibaut Courtois admitted they were missing the “balance” he provided, Matic suggested it was time the Chelsea supporters who sent him on his way without regret began to recognise what they had lost.
Matic said: “I spent a good time there, 3½ years, which is a long time.
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“It’s going to be something special for me to play again in that stadium.
“When I played there I always gave 100 per cent and we won two titles together and won a cup.
“I’m sure they respect that but, if not, I don’t really care.”
Asked if he was surprised that Chelsea let him go, he added: “I cannot say. The only thing I can say is that I am happy to be part of this club. I’m happy to be working with Mourinho.
“As I said, when I played at Chelsea I always gave my best to help the team but now Manchester United is my club and I will try to win there.”
A United win would heap more pressure on Conte, who questioned his side’s ‘desire’ and ‘fight’ after their 3-0 Rome mauling.
Ex-United defender Phil Neville watched Chelsea’s Stadio Olimpico collapse and pinned much of it on letting Matic leave.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “The minute they sold Matic, it was a mistake. Whoever made that decision needs sacking.
“That is one of the poorest decisions I’ve ever seen in the Premier League. If you ask any of those Chelsea players who they would want back, they would say Matic.”
Keeper Courtois, who stood between the champions and a humiliating pummelling in Italy, seemed to agree, saying: “We know Nemanja’s qualities. Last year he gave us the balance but decided to go to another team, so we won’t live in the past.
“Our midfield is very good, we have very strong players.
“I don’t know if we miss him but if you have two injuries in midfield then of course you can say: ‘Yeah, we miss Nemanja because he is another quality player’.”
Matic initially wanted to leave last summer. But he did not kick up a fuss when his wish was not granted and stayed to help Conte win the title in his first season as a Premier League manager.
When Kante is fit, Matic is not missed. But having the two together would have been a huge advantage to Chelsea, particularly with the extra workload this season.
It is no coincidence that with Champions League football and a title defence, last season’s remarkable injury record is taking a hit.
Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Alvaro Morata, Pedro, Victor Moses and Bakayoko have all reported physical issues.
That, plus suspensions and Conte’s haphazard approach to squad rotation is playing havoc with his team and their performances.
In the first four games this season he used three different defensive combinations, while Andreas Christensen still pops up from time to time but is not a regular.
The rest are being switched all over the place. On Tuesday, skipper Gary Cahill started on the right of defence as opposed to the left before he was eventually subbed and quit the stadium in a huff.
Antonio Rudiger has played left and right. Cesar Azpilicueta, too. Cahill has been left out altogether and David Luiz thrown forward into midfield.
No wonder the champions look distracted. That’s more people in more positions than a double-page spread in the Kama Sutra.
If Mourinho’s judgment is proved right, and Matic is the star of the show on Sunday, the questions about Conte’s decisions will only deepen.
