Nemanja Matic gave Thomas Tuchel a glowing review following the encounter between Chelsea and Manchester United yesterday.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match (relayed by the Football Daily), Matic described the near tactical perfection Tuchel has achieved since taking over the Blues.
Chelsea have transformed into a well-oiled machine under their German engineer, but the rust of recent times was on show last night again.
Despite dominating the fixture, the European champions could only find the back of the net once against a United side known for leaking goals.
The £117m combination of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz couldn’t break the deadlock.
Neither could Chelsea’s club-record signing Romelu Lukaku.
Instead, the responsibility fell to the feet of a 31-year-old defender.
Marcos Alonso marked another solid performance with a delightful volley on the hour, set-up by his equally as efficient fellow wing-back Reece James.
The ex-Blue speaks out
Having one wing-back assist another provided evidence of Tuchel’s teaching, something United could not dream of mastering right now.
They are pretty much the polar opposite of Chelsea at the moment.
Void of energy, lacking in any kind of obvious plan and playing like a team of individuals.
Yet, the Red Devils still managed to end their recent rut thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored just two minutes after Alonso’s effort.
“Obviously it was an improvement,” admitted Matic, having helped clinch two points away from his former employers.
“We played against a very good team, that tactically is almost perfect, technically also.
“They have great players and a great manager. So, I think we played a good game.
“I don’t think we were much better than them, but it was an equal game. I think 1-1 was a fair result.
“They had some more opportunities than us, but I think 1-1 was a fair result.
“It’s always tough when you play good teams.”
Matic to their own
Matic is well educated in the ways of Chelsea managers.
He was part of Antonio Conte’s Premier League title-winning squad in 2016/17, where the 3-4-3 that Tuchel uses a version of today became prevalent.
The midfielder also featured predominantly throughout Jose Mourinho’s third English league triumph.
Mourinho then brought the Serb to Old Trafford in 2017, who will end half a decade of service to the club at the end of the season.
Maybe Jose will take Matic at Roma as well…
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