[Wednesday at Stoke]

While that may be true, all the signs were there that Matic was beginning to decline in his last couple of seasons at Chelsea.

Its kind of interesting, he had one season with Jose at Chelsea where he was basically undroppable and played every minute, started fading badly towards the end with over exertion and then went to shit the season afterwards. He regained form under Conte, came to United with Jose, played every minute and now again he's fading badly.

May be he needs to be used a bit more sparingly with squad rotation, which isn't an entirely drastic concept for a 30 year old but the dinosaur managing us wouldn't know the first thing about playing with a squad.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

Should have primarily been a back-up player this season. Someone to consistently see out games while utilising his experience.
But nope.Usually the first name on the team-sheet for Jose and its holding us back.

 

[dannyrhinos89]

I seem to remember Matic wasn’t completely undroppable at Chelsea. I Remember when Jose subbed him on then subbed him off in his meltdown against Leicester.

Why is he suddenly undroppable now I dont get it.

 

[Renegade]

Should have primarily been a back-up player this season. Someone to consistently see out games while utilising his experience.
But nope.Usually the first name on the team-sheet for Jose and its holding us back.

For 40m he should be giving us 3 strong seasons at the very least. Perfect example of Mourinho’s short term mindset. Wouldn’t trust this guy with another penny.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

For 40m he should be giving us 3 strong seasons at the very least. Perfect example of Mourinho’s short term mindset. Wouldn’t trust this guy with another penny.

For the fee I agree but with the players ability and his legs clearly slowing down then he should be a bench option or a sporadic first teamer.

I dont think Jose is going to get much joy out of United during the upcoming transfer window and nor should he to be honest.
These 100 million+ reports I imagine are far and away from the blunt truth.

 

[UncleBob]

Don't think Mourinho is doing him any favours by playing him the full 90 mins every single match. It's pretty obvious that he needs a bit of a rest

 

[ivaldo]

At the top level, yes. At their peak? No. Most players start to decline at that age. Obviously there will be exceptions, but in general it’s safer to assume that they will, rather than hoping that they won’t. I don’t see how that can be argued? I’m not saying every player declines, but it would be safer for us if we steered away from them, unless they are absolutely top class, like a Modric. That’s why going for Sanchez made sense for us, granted it hasn’t worked out so far.

Going for players who’s top level is just “good” in that age bracket isn’t a smart investment whichever way you look at it IMO, as the potential upside isn’t worth the risk.

There's an abundance of players that played their best football in their 30s. Even an arbitrary Google search will reveal lists of such things. Medical, dietary and training advancements in recent years means this number is going to continue increasing, not the other way around.

It's not a case of assuming or hoping, it's a case of due diligence. Jose and his team got it wrong in this instance. That doesn't mean we should never consider a player approaching 30, it also doesn't mean those "sports science brigade" you gleefully put down are wrong.

 

[Arka_BleedingRed]

I seem to remember Matic wasn’t completely undroppable at Chelsea. I Remember when Jose subbed him on then subbed him off in his meltdown against Leicester.

Why is he suddenly undroppable now I dont get it.

That's Jose, the enigmatic one, for you. Most of the times, he will do things that are completely beyond normal people's minds.

 

[Arka_BleedingRed]

There's an abundance of players that played their best football in their 30s. Even an arbitrary Google search will reveal lists of such things. Medical, dietary and training advancements in recent years means this number is going to continue increasing, not the other way around.

It's not a case of assuming or hoping, it's a case of due diligence. Jose and his team got it wrong in this instance. That doesn't mean we should never consider a player approaching 30, it also doesn't mean those "sports science brigade" you gleefully put down are wrong.

But, it depends on the player's conditioning, natural fitness, habits and all etc. right? Also, if they fail to perform or to fit in the manager's plans, they become very difficult to sell w/o a huge loss. All in all, a risk for the club bringing in players like Sanchez, Matic(who have been largely poor in their respective clubs) or the rumoured ones like Bale(too injury prone), Perisic(inconsistent).

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

There's an abundance of players that played their best football in their 30s. Even an arbitrary Google search will reveal lists of such things. Medical, dietary and training advancements in recent years means this number is going to continue increasing, not the other way around.

It's not a case of assuming or hoping, it's a case of due diligence. Jose and his team got it wrong in this instance. That doesn't mean we should never consider a player approaching 30, it also doesn't mean those "sports science brigade" you gleefully put down are wrong.

I think there is a massive amount of luck involved. Yes there are physical tests you can do, and look at the no of injuries and games they have played in their career - but ultimately we just dont know how most players will react to getting older. There is a mixture of science, psychology and luck.

 

[settembrini]

The percentage of footballers that played their best football in their 30s has to be tiny. And there's zero reason to think that will change.

 

[ivaldo]

But, it depends on the player's conditioning, natural fitness, habits and all etc. right? Also, if they fail to perform or to fit in the manager's plans, they become very difficult to sell w/o a huge loss. All in all, a risk for the club bringing in players like Sanchez, Matic(who have been largely poor in their respective clubs) or the rumoured ones like Bale(too injury prone), Perisic(inconsistent).

Yes, I've alluded to this in the post you've quoted. Players should be considered on an individual basis, and it's up to the scouting network and management to ascertain whether they are going to be a viable option when they get into their 30s. There's no magic cut off point, and the "sport science brigade" are entirely right to point towards the overwhelming evidence available that prove players can maintain, or even improve their performance levels once they hit the big 3-0.

 

[Adisa]

Awful signing. Ed should have told Mourinho to feck off.

 

[ivaldo]

I think there is a massive amount of luck involved. Yes there are physical tests you can do, and look at the no of injuries and games they have played in their career - but ultimately we just dont know how most players will react to getting older. There is a mixture of science, psychology and luck.

That's not just restricted to older players though, is it? There's just too many variables in play that stops any transfer being an absolute certainty.

 

[ivaldo]

The percentage of footballers that played their best football in their 30s has to be tiny. And there's zero reason to think that will change.

No, it isn't.

 

[Murray3007]

No, it isn't.

what percentage would you guess at ? what players do you reckon have been better since they turned 30 ?

 

[CM]

Its kind of interesting, he had one season with Jose at Chelsea where he was basically undroppable and played every minute, started fading badly towards the end with over exertion and then went to shit the season afterwards. He regained form under Conte, came to United with Jose, played every minute and now again he's fading badly.

May be he needs to be used a bit more sparingly with squad rotation, which isn't an entirely drastic concept for a 30 year old but the dinosaur managing us wouldn't know the first thing about playing with a squad.

Yeah, fair point. I struggle to think of him as anything more than a squad player (assuming he isn't sold) under a new manager though. Matic has almost become a symbol of Mourinho's outdated approach.

 

[shamans]

The percentage of footballers that played their best football in their 30s has to be tiny. And there's zero reason to think that will change.

The CAF is unfortunately full of “sports science experts” who will tell you 33 is the new 21 and laugh at us saying for saying players get old. I think zlatan Ronaldo and Giggs have warped old age perception for some

 

[ivaldo]

what percentage would you guess at ? what players do you reckon have been better since they turned 30 ?

Wouldn’t know where to begin, it’s more than a “tiny percentage” though, with a far bigger portion maintaining their level once they hit thirty. Care to hazard a guess yourself?

There’s plenty of examples, from Xavi to Zlatan to Maldini to Pirlo. Scholes VDS and Carrick at our own club. Take your pick.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

That's not just restricted to older players though, is it? There's just too many variables in play that stops any transfer being an absolute certainty.

Of course, but there's more uncertainty as the player gets older. Niggling injuries can kill a pros career in their thirties. The other big issue is clearly motivation.

 

[ivaldo]

Of course, but there's more uncertainty as the player gets older. Niggling injuries can kill a pros career in their thirties. The other big issue is clearly motivation.

It's a trade off. The player is more likely to make an immediate impact, too.

 

[Murray3007]

Wouldn’t know where to begin, it’s more than a “tiny percentage” though, with a far bigger portion maintaining their level once they hit thirty. Care to hazard a guess yourself?

There’s plenty of examples, from Xavi to Zlatan to Maldini to Pirlo. Scholes VDS and Carrick at our own club. Take your pick.

no sure any them really maintained there best performances once they were in to there 30's to be fair, but they still performed to a high standard.

 

[ivaldo]

no sure any them really maintained there best performances once they were in to there 30's to be fair, but they still performed to a high standard.

I'd disagree with that. Fair enough though.

 

[cheeky_backheel]

Wouldn’t know where to begin, it’s more than a “tiny percentage” though, with a far bigger portion maintaining their level once they hit thirty. Care to hazard a guess yourself?

There’s plenty of examples, from Xavi to Zlatan to Maldini to Pirlo. Scholes VDS and Carrick at our own club. Take your pick.

I think its more of a case of the quality of those players in their prime was so high, that even when they had declined they were still very good. Also you dont really lose your football IQ but that your physical abilities decline with age, and thus more intelligent players age better.

 

[ivaldo]

I think its more of a case of the quality of those players in their prime was so high, that even when they had declined they were still very good. Also you dont really lose your football IQ but that your physical abilities decline with age, and thus more intelligent players age better.

Physically they will decline, but consistency, understanding of the game and game Intelligence will most likely go up. They don't have to be top level players, it's just those are the players that most spring to mind. Someone like Arnoutovic is now at the dreaded age of 29, and he's playing better than he ever has done in his career. He isn't going to suddenly lose his legs in the next 4 months.

 

[Foxbatt]

He has been one of our main problems. The defence is getting overloaded because he cannot simply protect them. He is always escorting the opposition player to our box. The best thing he did against Palace was he blocked a shot with his arse by turning his back.

 

[Giant Midget]

What a performance. Our Serbian midfield general

 

[bosnian_red]

This is why you dont spend £45m on a 29 year old. A year later is completely useless.

 

[Raw]

He is utterly fecking shit, I want him binned ASAP.

 

[BlahRules]

His doing well and has been. Now I hope everyone will step up to his level.

 

[anant]

Honestly what does he even offer? Against a good side, the game passes him by as he is neither fast enough to cope with the pace nor technically good enough to deal with the press. And against lesser teams, we should not be requiring him as he seems to be uncomfortable on the ball

 

[#07]

He could survive the apocalypse. Fred very hard done by to come off in his place.

 

[Adisa]

Mourinho's instrument to burn everything before he leaves. Turd player.

 

[Foxbatt]

FFS, how on Earth does he get into this team?

 

[Andersons Dietician]

To be fair I wasn’t as disgusted with his performance today as I usually am, I think there was a vast improvement compared to the level we’ve seen recently from him. Still by no means the level you expect but he wasn’t awful.

 

[Devil may care]

I wonder what brand deal he has on the slippers he plays in, just a waste of space but I think Mourinho is just going to play him until he spontaneously combusts.

 

[Sultan]

Looks jaded likely due to too much football. A Month out or a holiday.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Was just watching a fan cam vid and the guy mentioned, Matic had his ping boots on in the first half, no idea where he got them from but he must have taken them off at half time. Which for me is a pretty accurate review of his game yesterday.

 

[WPMUFC]

after watching matic for two games straight, i actually started fantasizing about how much i missed Daley Blind's passing abilities

I seriously don't know why we keep starting him when the palace game made Townsend and their other mids look like Xavi and Alonso.

 

[Foxbatt]

Daley Blind has created goals or scoring chances when playing at CB. He certainly was a much better player even in midfield that Matic. As someone else said about Blind, he is a midfield player masquerading as a CB or left back.