Chelsea: 5 Midfield Roles Nemanja Matić Could Play

1. Anchor Man

4-2-3-1 may be the formation Chelsea are likely to use most frequently this season, but Mourinho also places great value in his traditional 4-3-3 for a solid midfield trio keeping possession and preventing opposition playmakers from playing between the lines. Mourinho has used this formation to shore up his side in a winning position several times this season, most recently in the 3-1 tactical rout of David Moyes' Manchester United. In that game, Mati‡ took the deepest position on the field as Anchor Man, parking himself in front of the defence and mopping up everything which came his way before laying the ball off with short, simple passes to the players ahead of him. In the United game, Mikel played slightly further forward in a role reminiscent of that which he plays for Nigeria (and how he played before Mourinho, during his first tenure at the club, converted him to a DM), using his careful passing and intelligent positioning to control the ball further up the field. While that would be a role Mati‡ seems better suited for than Mikel given his wider range of abilities - although it's possible Mourinho used Mikel in that instance precisely to keep the play slow and steady at that late point in the game - he showed in his eight-minute cameo that he has the discipline to ignore his more dynamic instincts and is no less capable at focusing exclusively on his defensive duties. Were Mourinho to play a 4-3-3 from the outset, Mati‡ would be an ideal choice for anchoring the midfield while Lampard and Ramires exchanged offensive responsibilities. It will be interesting to see which role Mourinho has earmarked Mati‡ for, having already expressed an appreciation for the Serb's ability to contribute to attacking movements in addition to his fine defensive work. Let us know in the comments below how you think Mati‡ would be best utilised by the club!