Many are mocking Chelsea for spending £21 million on a player whom they sold as a makeweight in the David Luiz deal only three years ago, yet Nemanja Mati could prove essential to maintaining the club's push for Premier League success this season. Despite a surfeit of talent in the attacking midfield positions, Chelsea have struggled to find balance among its options for the two deeper roles. Ramires and Lampard lack defensive stability. Mikel and Lampard lack pace and dynamism. Ramires and Mikel lack creativity. David Luiz's undeniable talent is counterbalanced by unpredictability and recklessness, attributes anathemic to José Mourinho's preference for precise, controlled play. The step up from the Portuguese Primeira Liga to the English Premier League is a big one, but if Mati can adapt quickly, he could emerge as the midfield general Chelsea have long needed. His defensive skills have been well noted, but his outstanding technical and passing ability give him a versatility lacking among Mourinho's other options. If he can add regular goalscoring to his skillset, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. Here are my suggestions for five ways Chelsea can use Mati to shore up the deficiencies in their midfield.
28-year old English writer with a borderline obsessive passion for films, videogames, Chelsea FC, incomprehensible words and indefensible puns. Follow me on Twitter if you like infrequent outbursts of absolute drivel.
