Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Oscar Are a Perfect Match for Chelsea Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season is down to a number of factors. Having an efficient goalscorer in the form of Diego Costa has certainly helped, and the back four have formed the second-best defence in the Premier League to date. However, it is in the middle of the park where the secret to the Blues’ success so far lies. The summer signing of Cesc Fabregas has revolutionised the centre of Chelsea’s midfield. Partnering Nemanja Matic, the Spanish playmaker has added a consistency to the team’s attack and filled the experience gap left by Frank Lampard’s departure. He has also moved them closer to the tiki-taka style of football that owner Roman Abramovich craves. In the Premier League so far, Fabregas has completed a whopping 735 short passes. Matic is behind him on 598. Matic’s signing was seen by many as an admission of failure on the part of Chelsea. Originally sold to Benfica as part of the deal to bring David Luiz to Stamford Bridge in 2011, Matic developed into a solid defensive midfielder with an eye for goal. Jose Mourinho made him his first priority when the January transfer window opened last season, and despite being cup-tied for Chelseas European campaign, he had a major role to play in the final months of last season. Pundit Graeme Souness (via Adam Bate of Sky Sports) summed Matics playing style up perfectly after the 2-0 win over Arsenal this season: Matic’s thoughts are not about getting on the ball and doing something really cute and clever on the ball by scoring a goal or finding a pass for a goal. Matic is not thinking like that. He is going on the pitch thinking that he’s going to do a job for the team and fill all the danger areas when the opposition has the ball. He gives the freedom to the other midfield players to do the damage. The stability afforded by the Matic-Fabregas partnership has also helped another key player in Mourinho’s new Chelsea side. Oscar was The Special One’s favourite player at the start of last season. His all-round ability saw him oust fan-favourite Juan Mata from the No. 10 role, and despite a drop in form towards the end of the season, he has picked up the pace again this year. Mourinho said after the game against Crystal Palace, per Sky Sports: Hes not a number 10 that plays with the ball at his feet, hes a number 10 that looks back, looks to the side, analyses the game and sees where the team needs him to move to get the ball and also to create balance. The Brazilian youngster does far more for the team than a traditional attacking No. 10. Playing more as a box-to-box midfielder, Oscar is not scared to track back into the middle of the park, and he has made more tackles (25) than Eden Hazard and Willian combined (21) despite playing fewer games. Having Oscar play as a false central midfielder nullifies the danger of playing against teams who shut down Fabregas’ passing options. The Spaniard was man-marked throughout the game against Crystal Palace, but the tenacity of Oscar’s tracking back to cover allowed him to find enough space to score the second goal. Per the FourFourTwo StatsZone app, the trio topped the passing charts in the games against Palace and QPR, exactly the sort of teams that Chelsea have struggled against in the recent past. Matic, Fabregas and Oscar have all scored contenders for goal of the season so far, but it is the way they combine their strengths both on and off the ball that will please Mourinho most. Their different qualities have allowed The Special One to create a perfectly balanced midfield that is equally comfortable when in possession and when chasing the game. Considering that the hallmark of his most successful teams has been their midfield dominance, Chelsea’s title rivals should be very afraid indeed. Should they be really afraid? Are we that really dominant? Are we that really formidable? #ASSOT #CFC #KTBFFH
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 13:22:47 +0000
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