Matic – Already on the decline

This topic contains 83 replies, has 21 voices, and was last updated by  homerjay540 6 years, 7 months ago.

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 71 total)
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  • #1510011

    Manthistle
    Participant
    • :

    According to Opta, Matic is already becoming less and less of an influence on the pitch and has fallen behind other players in the league.

    2014/15
    Tackles – 3.72
    Interceptions – 2.07
    Duels Won – 8.01

    2015/16
    Tackles – 3.12
    Interceptions – 2.49
    Duels Won – 6.54

    2016/17
    Tackles – 1.70
    Interceptions – 1.67
    Duels Won – 4.77

    …and compared to other players last season:

    Herrera
    Tackles – 3.07
    Interceptions – 2.96
    Duels Won – 6.79

    Fellaini
    Tackles – 3.15
    Interceptions – 1.63
    Duels Won – 10.41

    Kante
    Tackles – 3.64
    Interceptions – 2.35
    Duels Won – 5.65

    Bakayoko
    Tackles – 2.84
    Interceptions – 2.27
    Duels Won – 9.82

    We’re buying a dud for double what Chelsea paid for him in his prime.

    #1510013
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Participant
    • :

    Heavens above, he hasn’t even met his team mates yet.

    #1510015

    Personally I don’t think he’s the type of player we need, let alone the actual one we need. However, if Mourinho wants him and can get the best out of him then it’s on him at the end of the day.

    #1510026

    Blacky
    Participant
    • :

    Haha fuck me @Manny you really are one boring old bugger matey,care to produce a similar raft of stats outlining your mate Carrick’s ever decreasing circle of influence in our team?,thought not!.
    The guys not even signed yet and already you start with your agenda driven statistics.We also got the same sort of thing off you last year on Pogba,deary me get a bleedin’ life!.

    #1510033

    happyhurling
    Participant
    • :

    So Fellaini is better than him?

    #1510038

    Blacky
    Participant
    • :

    @Sympathy – When you say that Matic is not “the type of player we need”,do you mean that we don’t need to sign a specialist DMF at all?.If so,I would just love to hear who you think we have already got within our ranks that can play the role to the level required so as we can free up Paul Pogba’s role within the team thereby giving him the platform he needs to hurt the opposition further forward and far more often this coming season!.

    #1510047

    yorkshireman200
    Participant
    • :

    I could have sworn I heard Jose offer his concerns last week about clubs paying 30-40-50m for average players never mind 29 year old pnes! We def. need a DM alright but not a one paced aging player who cost more than his much younger replacement at his previous club. Just waiting for us to cave in and pay another near 50m for a 28 year old winger! Well done Ed.

    #1510051

    jm1502
    Participant
    • :

    Matic wouldn’t have been my pick but there’s no doubt he’s a good player, as is Perisic. And after watching us labour against Valarenga last night, with absolutely no natural width in the team (or squad for that matter), boy do we need Perisic.
    I agree with you about overpriced, ageing players yorkshire, neither do I have any time for Ed, but if we sign these two for that money, it’ll be Mourinho who’s responsible and who’ll have pushed for them.

    #1510053

    @blacky – we do need to enforce the midfield, there is no doubt about that mate, but I don’t believe a game-breaking DM is what we need to get the best out of our squad. We need a younger Carrick; a deep-lying playmaker who will cover the back-line and intercept balls, etc. however needs to have the forward-thinking passing game to be able to get Pogba (and Herrera if required) moving up the centre and get our wingers and full backs more involved in the game. A Kroos or Verratti would be a god-send if we could get either however, with limited funds left for us to deal with, I doubt we can get either.

    A specialized DM wouldn’t be a bad option in midfield however I’d prefer if Herrera was the game-breaker (given his good performances last year in that role and his knack of passing backwards and sideways meaning that we don’t build many attacks through him) and then get a proper, forward-thinking playmaker to partner Pogba and him.

    Cheers

    #1510060
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Participant
    • :

    What’s over priced in this market though Yorkshireman? Two years ago forty million might have got you a superstar but not anymore, you’re going north of seventy million for that. I’m not convinced his younger replacement at Chelsea is all that either.

    We’ve paid too much for Matic no doubt but everybody is paying too much this summer. If he comes in and plays that anchor role allowing Pogba to get forward and hit the post more often then he’ll do for me.

    #1510061

    jm1502
    Participant
    • :

    A younger Carrick as a playmaker, ha ha ha, fuck me sympathy. Fellaini played more through balls last night than that plodder, I know because I made a point of counting them. I’ll grant you we need a playmaker, I’ve said it all along, but a younger Carrick? I’ve been waiting 10 years for us to unload him ffs, we don’t want a younger nothing player. But either way, we still need a holding midfielder because your claim that Herrera can do the job is as ludicrous as your assertion that Carrick is a playmaker.

    #1510069

    yorkshireman200
    Participant
    • :

    jm, just think, if Pogba gets injusrd we could have a midfield of Matic and Fellaini or even Carrick in some games! Now don’t that get the love juice bubbling!!!

    #1510075

    jm1502
    Participant
    • :

    Oh I agree yorkshire, if Pogba gets injured we’re fucked full stop mate. But yes, a vision of Fellaini, Carrick, Matic and you can add Herrera to that list, plodding around midfield, does make one’s dick go limp.

    #1510076
    hatters
    hatters
    Participant
    • :

    I don’t want to get too excited about the statistics because I don’t watch much of Chelsea and am not sure how their gameplan changed after Kante’s arrival.

    Generally, however, I got the feeling last season that most pundits and Chelsea fans were of the opinion that Matic was on the decline and hadn’t reached the levels of his first season at Chelsea. Considering Mourinho and Matic have already won together, I am sure if anyone knows how to get the best out of Matic, it’s Mourinho. This is a player who can slot right in and is very low risk for Mourinho (no coaching or adjustment required).

    The reported price is exorbitant and he is not at the right age. It’s clear that we aren’t able to get our preferred targets at this point.

    Some here are mentioning players like Veratti and Kroos – you having a laugh?!!

    #1510080

    happyhurling
    Participant
    • :

    Hatters – I think when they brought Kante in they thought Matic would be phased out. But he wasn’t, he played 30 league games and actually kept Fabregas out of the side. 7 assists too which is more than any of our midfielders last season. Let’s not forget where we finished and, even at 29, Matic will be an upgrade on last season. Not really my sort of player but I think he’s tailor made for a Mourinho side.

    #1510087
    MacGuffin
    MacGuffin
    Participant
    • :

    This is a player who can slot right in and is very low risk for Mourinho (no coaching or adjustment required).
    Hatters makes a good point here and this highlights a problem in the modern game and United recent history.

    Mourinho is aware of what a hot seat the United manager job is. If we fail to make top 4 this season the chances out he’ll be sacked. And conversely should he win the PL he will buy himself a new contract and time to build a better team. His policy therefore is for the Now and as for the future, he’ll cross that bridge when (and if) it comes.

    In my view this is not the best strategy for the club. I’ve been arguing I want us to build a team for the future that can stay together for a long time and herald an era of success, like we enjoyed with teams under Fergie.

    Once again, its another reason why the club needs a director of football.

    #1510095

    Blacky
    Participant
    • :

    @Sympathy – If you seriously believe that by finding a “younger Carrick” and using Herrera as a “game breaker” is going to cut the mustard and in any way close the absolute massive chasm between ourselves and the big boys around Europe then I’m afraid that I have to urgently suggest that you drastically cut down the strength of your ‘herbal cigarettes’ asap mate,simple as that!.

    #1510113

    Manthistle
    Participant
    • :

    Blacky

    care to produce a similar raft of stats outlining your mate Carrick’s ever decreasing circle of influence in our team?

    Care to point out where I think Carrick should be a first team starter next season let alone command a £40m transfer fee? If Carrick was 29 and was comparably worse than those around him and there was surely better options available for £40m than I would be equally as critical.

    The guys not even signed yet and already you start with your agenda driven statistics.We also got the same sort of thing off you last year on Pogba,deary me get a bleedin’ life!

    I never criticised the Pogba signing at the time. I was excited for Pogba. He is young and a talent. Ticks all my boxes. But his performances last season left me underwhelmed as they did with most football fans. Matic on the other hand is 29 (or turns 29 in August) and has already been seen to be on the wane. We’re buying a champion horse that should be put out to stud. If he’s a short term stop gap then fair enough but it’s getting to the point where we have to stop thinking short term and start thinking long term.

    #1510135

    Blacky
    Participant
    • :

    @manny – Fact remains you are always agenda driven and everyone on this forum knows it.Even if Carrick had fulfilled all that critiera you would have still remained silent because to do otherwise would not have aligned with your own personal narrative.
    I distinctly remember your #pogshit BS and the set of stats you produced to paint him in a bad light shortly into last season,so no point trying to airbrush it from history now matey.
    As for your stats comparisons,you highlight Bakayako who played in a two team French league as some sort of a benchmark,which is pure fantasy and also completely ignore the obvious fact that of course Matic is going to have to make far more tackles and interceptions with Fabregas as his midfield partner rather than having Ngolo Kante alongside him with his marauding style of play last season.
    Give it a reset at least until he actually signs and plays a few games,FFS!.

    #1510138

    @blacky – *sigh* when did I ever say that? I only said that I think a deep lying playmaker would be a better fit to get the best out of our midfield than a game-breaker. I’m trying to be realistic here – I can easily tell you that we should spend 200m on Verratti, Kante and Kroos but unfortunately this isn’t football manager. We can get one midfielder maximum this window and, in my opinion always, we would be better served with a player in the mould of a deep lying playmaker and have Herrera do the dirty duties rather than spend crazy money on the 28 year old Matic and have Herrera and him playing alongside each other as our central pair when Pogba is injured / rested / suspended.

    Lol herbal cigarettes – you and jm1502 are quite the jokers on here – hilarious!

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