Nemanja Matic: Why Jose Mourinho insists on signing the Serbian stalwart – scout report

Quite a few reunions are expected to happen in the 2022/23 Serie A season, with Romelu Lukaku returning to Internazionale on loan, Paul Pogba possibly going back to Juventus and Nemanja Matić joining José Mourinho at Roma. While Lukaku and Pogbas returns are actively discussed and the expectations on them are high, nobody is talking about how Matić could influence Romas performance and fit into Mourinhos tactics.

While the Serbian has been lacking consistency over the last few years, he became an essential part of the struggling Manchester United team and was among the regular starters despite the changing circumstances.

On the other hand, Mourinho had a successful first season in charge of the Giallorossi, leading them to their first title in 14 years after winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in its first year of existence.

Roma are actively linked to a few players in the summer transfer window, with the manager trying to fill in the gaps and be prepared for an eventual Nicolò Zaniolo departure.

Meanwhile, the club landed Matić with a free transfer, and his former manager would be hoping for him to fit their style of play and help them with his experience.

In our scout report, we examine how the Serbian could fit the team’s tactics through tactical analysis and explain what are his strengths and weaknesses that should be considered.

How can he influence the team in possession?

Certainly, the Serbian will be most beneficial for the team with his experience as he is expected to bring balance to Roma’s considerably young midfield. He can support the team through his composure in all phases of the game.

He is comfortable with the ball and can give them more security in their build-up, providing the full-backs/wing-backs with more freedom to move forward and also allowing his teammates in midfield to move into more advanced positions. His passing abilities provide options in midfield whether it is for retaining possession and moving the ball laterally or progressing it to the final third.

His positioning would help Mourinho’s side to have a better connection between midfield and attack. He is used to playing in a 4-2-3-1, especially under the Portuguese, so he is expected to quickly adjust to that set-up should the manager decide to stick to it.

However, at some point of the season, Mourinho adopted a back-three formation at Roma, which might change Matić’s role slightly. This doesn’t necessarily mean he would have difficulties fitting but might even result in underlining his strengths as it gives the team more options with the ball and better coverage defensively.

Despite the attacking advantages the back three formation offers, Mourinho doesn’t risk too much by placing his team too high up the pitch. That’s why the 33-year-old’s long passing could be very beneficial for delivering the ball to the attacking players and breaking through defences. He has an eye for a quality pass and can successfully identify his teammates’ movement off the ball so he can progress it further.

His spatial awareness allows him to find gaps and set his teammates up in quality positions, which could be a great addition to Tammy Abraham’s movement.

With his defensive awareness, providing balls over the top and having the ability to switch play, he could fit perfectly into Roma’s counter-attacking style of play and could increase their efficiency even more, as more of their counter-attacks can result in shots.

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