MX23RW : Sunday, May 28 04:39:15| >> :120:21680:21680:

On this day: Nemanja Matic makes Chelsea return

On this day in 2014, midfielder Nemanja Matic rejoins Chelsea after previously leaving the club in 2011.

In the years that followed Roman Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea in 2003, the Stamford Bridge outfit spent a number of seasons shelling out top dollar for the best talent in world football and for a while, the extravagant spending paid off as Jose Mourinho delivered back-to-back Premier League titles.

However, at a similar time when Mourinho departed the club, Chelsea found themselves in a position where they needed to start building for the future and an array of youngsters began to head to West London, despite what seemed to be the slim possibility of ever breaking into the senior setup. Many of the incomings have either moved on or been loaned out to a club in Europe, but for one player, his switch to England at a relatively young age has paid off.

When Nemanja Matic signed for Chelsea in 2009 - either on the request of Carlo Ancelotti or one of the club's scouts - it wasn't considered a major coup. The midfielder, then just 21 years of age, had spent the previous two seasons being a virtual ever-present for Slovakian club Kosice, but despite regularly featuring in the first team, it was never considered that he would become a household name in the Premier League.

Nemanja Matic takes the ball from Daley Blind as Chelsea take on Manchester United on October 26, 2014© AFP

After just three first-team appearances in his opening year at the club, Matic was loaned out to Vitesse, but upon his return, he dropped back into the reserves with no future under new coach Andre Villas-Boas. Despite his lack of action, Portuguese giants Benfica saw something in Matic that led to them requesting the Serbian as a make-weight in the deal that saw David Luiz move to the Blues in a £21m transfer. At the time, it was considered that Chelsea had failed with another one of their youthful acquisitions from Europe.

However, on this day in 2014, after netting nine times in 98 appearances in Portugal, Mourinho identified Matic as one of the missing links in his Chelsea lineup and promptly spent £21m - ironically the same fee that was involved in the part-exchange deal with Luiz - to acquire Matic's services on a five-and-a-half-year deal. The transfer was understandably met with caution by Chelsea's supporters, but over the past 12 months, it has proved to be one of Mourinho's shrewdest moves in his managerial career.

After making his second Chelsea debut as a substitute against Manchester United, Matic was drafted into the team to take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It was a bold display of faith from Mourinho, but it was a move that brought huge rewards as Matic helped overpower their opponents' midfield with a performance that included strength, tactical nous and a show of his attacking capabilities with a venomous strike from 30 yards that clattered Joe Hart's crossbar.

Newcastle United's Spanish striker Ayoze Perez challenges Chelsea's Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London on January 10, 2015© Getty Images

Ever since that Monday evening in Manchester, Matic has effectively been untouchable in Chelsea's engine room. His arrival saw game time dry up for the likes of Luiz, John Obi Mikel and Ramires before he found a regular midfield partner in Cesc Fabregas, who signed from Barcelona in the summer. It's a partnership that sees both men complement each other's games and was partly responsible for Chelsea's dominance at the top of the Premier League table during the first half of this campaign.

Since making his return, Matic has made 48 appearances in all competitions, with all but five of those coming in the Premier League and Champions League, with his development under Mourinho seeing him make the transition from bit-part player to one of the first names on the team sheet. The one occasion when Matic wasn't on that team sheet - away at Newcastle United - they lost.

In football, things change on a daily basis, but as it stands, after establishing himself as one of the most effective defensive midfield players in Europe, it seems a certainty that Matic will be patrolling the middle third of the pitch at Stamford Bridge for years to come.

ID:198978: cacheID:198978:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6920:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jose Mourinho, manager of Chelsea reacts on the touchline next to Mauricio Pochettino, manager of Spurs during the Barclays Premier League on January 1, 2015
Read Next:
Preview: Chelsea vs. Watford
>
rhs 2.0
Real Madrid Until The End
Today's games header
10am
Ofner
Cressy
10am
Kypson
Albot
10am
Khachanov
Lestienne
10am
Goffin
Hurkacz
10am
Martinez
Greikspoor
10am
Kostyuk
Sabalenka
10am
Udvardy
Shymanovich
10am
Podoroska
Ponchet
10am
Zhang
Frech
10am
Parrizas Diaz
Hunter
11.30am
Vesely
Tsitsipas
11.30am
Kokkinakis
Evans
11.30am
Fucsovics
Grenier
11.30am
Isner
Borges
11.30am
Kubler
Diaz Acosta
12pm
McDonald
Korda
12pm
Arnaldi
Elahi Galan
12pm
Bejlek
Rakhimova
12pm
Linette
Fernandez
12pm
Sakkari
Muchova
1.30pm
Cornet
Giorgi
1.30pm
Tauson
Sasnovich
1.30pm
Jeanjean
Birrell
1.30pm
Mertens
Hruncakova
1.30pm
Djere
Rublev
1.30pm
Cazaux
Moutet
1.30pm
Shelton
Sonego
1.30pm
Carballes Baena
Nava
2pm
Zidansek
Zheng
2pm
Townsend
Potapova
3pm
Pouille
Rodionov
3pm
Shevchenko
Otte
3pm
Musetti
Ymer
3.30pm
Niemeier
Kasatkina
3.30pm
Collins
Pegula
3.30pm
Sherif
Brengle
3.30pm
Samsonova
Volynets
3.30pm
Bondar
Begu
3.30pm
Errani
Teichmann
6pm
Mannarino
Humbert
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City37285494326289
2Arsenal37256683434081
3Manchester UnitedMan Utd37226956421472
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371913567323570
5Liverpool37199971432866
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton371881171512062
7Aston Villa37177134945458
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs37176146662457
9Brentford371414957461156
10Fulham37157155451352
11Crystal Palace371111153948-944
12Chelsea371110163746-943
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37118183153-2241
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham37117194153-1240
15Bournemouth37116203770-3339
16Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest37910183767-3037
17Everton37712183357-2433
18Leicester CityLeicester3787224967-1831
19Leeds UnitedLeeds37710204774-2731
RSouthampton3766253269-3724

Real Madrid Until The End
Ted Lasso creative

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!