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Nemanja Matic Serbia flag

2018-19 Performances

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5.1 Season Average Rating
Appearances
38
Goals
1
Assists
0
Yellow cards
12
Red cards
1
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Matic, Fred, Herrera, McTominay, Pogba.

Matic is the ONLY midfielder we have who's good at defending the space behind him. The others are only any good at defending the space in front of them.

Our biggest weakness last season was in defence. And our biggest issue in defence was that our CBs got called into defending as the last man far too often.

Matic may not have had a great season and I would be in favour of buying an upgrade, but it would be madness to sell him. He's still more than capable of being a squad player. If we got rid of him, we'd need to buy two players in his mould for rotation options.
 
Matic isn't good at that either anymore. We need to sign 2 players who can play that role
 
Dante said:
Matic, Fred, Herrera, McTominay, Pogba.

Matic is the ONLY midfielder we have who's good at defending the space behind him. The others are only any good at defending the space in front of them.

Our biggest weakness last season was in defence. And our biggest issue in defence was that our CBs got called into defending as the last man far too often.

Matic may not have had a great season and I would be in favour of buying an upgrade, but it would be madness to sell him. He's still more than capable of being a squad player. If we got rid of him, we'd need to buy two players in his mould for rotation options.
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His contract is expired next season (don’t think he has the 1 year extension) it makes sense to sell him now. He hasn’t been good enough & for someone in his role, he’s been useless & too much ball watching defensively, it’s like playing with 10 men. Move on, we already had someone like Fred for the rotation role & we shouldn’t overloaded more. McT is also another candidate to replace Matic if we don’t buy a new no 6.
 
UNITED ACADEMY said:
His contract is expired next season (don’t think he has the 1 year extension) it makes sense to sell him now. He hasn’t been good enough & for someone in his role, he’s been useless & too much ball watching defensively, it’s like playing with 10 men. Move on, we already had someone like Fred for the rotation role & we shouldn’t overloaded more. McT is also another candidate to replace Matic if we don’t buy a new no 6.
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No he hasn't, no he doesn't, no it isn't. You're exagerrating.

Matic had a poor season as a starter. But he still showed enough glimpses to prove he's not finished, just overplayed.

As a squad option, he'd be amongst the best holding midfielder substitutes in the league.

Neither McTominay nor Fred are suited to that role. Fred, in particular, has shown that he's really bad at it.
 
Dante said:
No he hasn't, no he doesn't, no it isn't. You're exagerrating.

Matic had a poor season as a starter. But he still showed enough glimpses to prove he's not finished, just overplayed.

As a squad option, he'd be amongst the best holding midfielder substitutes in the league.

Neither McTominay nor Fred are suited to that role. Fred, in particular, has shown that he's really bad at it.
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Sorry but not in my view. He was terrible & often ball watching defensively, lazy to follow his men and often losing his men that he’s supposed to mark. I see him as deadwood now.
 
Yes, I think he should be replaced.
No, I don't think we should sell him this season

He would be a good squad player to have.
 
Squad player, definitely not a starter any more. Probably let go once contract expires. Started off well when he first signed but he just has no mobility anymore. Maybe a good preseason, so he’s a bit fitter, and he might get some form back. Agree with comments that as a DCM coming off the bench to see out games, he still has a role to play.
 
Patrick08 said:
He was getting destroyed by mid table and relegation fodder teams last season in the midfield. I dont see how will he improve again.
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The hope is that he was being overplayed, instantly playing 90 minutes every single match even when he was rushed back from injury. If he only plays every second match or so maybe he can maintain a significantly higher level of form. Or maybe not and he really is finished at the top level.
 
I think the problem with Matic was his fitness towards the end of the season. If he stays fit and has a good pre-season, I think he'll have a good season. Don't think he's done yet.
 
Play him every other game then we're ok but if he plays every game then we'll get the same Matic.
 
I pray for my sanity's sake that Matic is not a regular starter anymore. It drives me mad when he starts acting as some sort of footballing maestro and shifts the ball from one side to the other, taking 7-8 touches in the process.

Not to mention that most of opposition's attacking players literally run past him as if he isn't there, so unless he is dropping deep constantly to position himself better, the Serbian is a total defensive liability (contrary to what Mourinho wanted every fan to believe).
 
Use him sparingly with rotation and I think he still is a good CDM.

We are already short of midfield options as it is. Does not make sense to sell the one DM we have in our squad.

I don't want to start the next season with a newcomer like Longstaff as our only CDM.
 
I think Longstaff will be his successor and we'll have to do with him for a couple of months before Longstaff gets fit.
 
AJ10 said:
Play him every other game then we're ok but if he plays every game then we'll get the same Matic.
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He played 3 games in 27 days last season and we still had people saying he was over played. He's shot. No amount of rest will make him remotely good enough.
 
Ideally he'd spend this season as a useful rotation option and we'd sell him next summer.

In reality, he'll start every single game as CDM, play reasonably well until October then become an absolute liability for the rest of the season.
 
MadDogg said:
The hope is that he was being overplayed, instantly playing 90 minutes every single match even when he was rushed back from injury. If he only plays every second match or so maybe he can maintain a significantly higher level of form. Or maybe not and he really is finished at the top level.
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Well you can not change teams every other match. I only see him useful if we play 4231 with him and Possibly Longstaff as two pivots behind pogba. As a 6 in 3 or 4 man midfield he is pretty much a Dead wood regardless of how fit and fresh he is.
 
Alabaster Codify7 said:
and we'd sell him next summer.
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Who's going to buy him with a year left on his contract spending transfer fees. This was the only year where we could have sold and got something. Pretty much nailed on to be another deadwood we keep too long now the by way this club has been operating with dead woods.
 
Patrick08 said:
Who's going to buy him with a year left on his contract spending transfer fees. This was the only year where we could have sold and got something. Pretty much nailed on to be another deadwood we keep too long now the by way this club has been operating with dead woods.
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True, and yes, highly likely. He's done as a top player.
 
He is not suited for the Premier league. You have to be quick and hard working.

He should go to Italy.
 
Patrick08 said:
He was getting destroyed by mid table and relegation fodder teams last season in the midfield. I dont see how will he improve again.
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You seem to be a bit confused. This is not a Pogba thread.
 
Gomes said:
You seem to be a bit confused. This is not a Pogba thread.
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No you seem confused actually. Pull up the thread marks from any game in 1st half of the season. He was terrible. Finished.
 
When we're in possession, I still think he's very good. It's when we're defending he's a liability. He should not be our DM in any formation, but I believe he could contribute as a 8.

Robbie Boy said:
Should never have signed him.
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I'm still a fan of his but I completely agree.

Herrera as our DM was brilliant. Much better than Matic. We needed a playmaker to compliment Herrera and Pogba instead of a DM, but José wanted a big'un. He wasted so much money here.
 
The season after we signed him from Chelsea when we came 2nd he was one of our best players,everyone was saying how we stole him from Chelsea, why did they let him go.

Last season it looked like he had some miles on him I hope he can get back to his best again I'm not sure though.

Dm position is vital for the whole flow of the team ,A player in that position can dictate how the whole team plays.
 
ZLATAN9 said:
The season after we signed him from Chelsea when we came 2nd he was one of our best players,everyone was saying how we stole him from Chelsea, why did they let him go.
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He started that season very well, but his form was on a slow but steady decline from October onwards. By the time we got to February or so he was distinctly average and he only got worse the last few months of the season. That continued this season where he was absolutely terrible until Ole took over and he had that brief period of good form.
 
Matic is done. Completely done. He can perform for about 2months before the wheels fall off.

His best bet is that next summer China come calling or a slightly lower level Italian team - he is certainly not a bad player and the skill/technique is still there, but he's slower than a bloody truck and its inly downhill from here for a big unit like him. Italy, where the play is slower and more methodical, maybe. China, where 90% of the league is dog faeces - definitely, superstar. But not the PL not now. It's passed him by. He's not even that old. It's just the size and the fact he's always been slow will always destroy a player like him, in his position.
 
I am all for the Longstaff signing if it means Matic is relegated to the reserves. I haven't a clue what he actually offers. Would he get regular games at Brighton?
 
I find the disparity between how fans treat Pogba Vs Matic strange. The former had a mediocre season 17/18, compared to the latter being one of our two or three best players. Likewise prior to Mourinho getting sacked both were awful. Both were fantastic during Ole's amazing start, but both returned to mediocrity thereafter.

Fans however treat Matic like he's been awful since day one and treat Pogba like a one man midfield superstar.

Is it a part of the obsession with age? Matic "legs have gone" every bad game he has, whereas Pogba "class is permanent, form is temporary", despite more bad games than good?
 
If we sell him we won’t have a #6 in the whole squad.
 
Match day thread vs West Ham is hella fun now, after reading recent posts.
 
Bwuk said:
If we sell him we won’t have a #6 in the whole squad.
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McTomminay did a decent job in the role, but I have a strange feeling that Carrick may still push for Pereira to play there, as was reportedly the case under Mourinho. I think we will transition to a more energetic midfield and a pressing game next season, and I think we will look to play someone more mobile in that role, such as those we have currently or Longstaff (if he's the target).
 
worldinmotion66 said:
McTomminay did a decent job in the role, but I have a strange feeling that Carrick may still push for Pereira to play there, as was reportedly the case under Mourinho. I think we will transition to a more energetic midfield and a pressing game next season, and I think we will look to play someone more mobile in that role, such as those we have currently or Longstaff (if he's the target).
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Ole literally said that Pereira's best position is further up the pitch plus with all the talk about Longstaff think we've seen the end of Pereira as a no6
 
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