Transfer news : Is Matic just what Pogba ordered?

Manchester United have departed with yet another wheelbarrow full of cash to recruit Nemanja Matic from Chelsea in what has become painfully characteristic of them over the summers of late. This most recent splurge – of what is just shy of £40m – takes Jose Mourinho’s total spending at the club to almost £300m since he arrived at Old Trafford last summer.
This article’s purpose is not to berate the Portuguese manager for his transfer window antics nor to suggest other players who the club might have been better advised to seek out. Instead, it looks at what the Serbian international can bring to the club and, more specifically, how his impressive defensive game can tease out the last, unexploited ounces of potential in Paul Pogba.
Whilst it cannot be disputed that Pogba was a rock in the United side last season, he was not a goalscorer or creator, at least from an assists point of view. In a side that has scored only 49 and 54 goals in the last two seasons, one cannot help but think that Mourinho must feel a little short-changed having broken the record books to bring the Frenchman back to Manchester.

Perhaps more alarming is that, whilst the top sides showed real panache in front of goal last season in comparison to the 2015/16 campaign (Manchester City arguably being an exception, as an ubiquitous threat in front of goal), United only managed to add a measly five goals to their previous, already dismal tally. Chelsea scored 17 more, as did Spurs – a whopping 31 and 32 goals, respectively, more than the Red Devils mustered.
Of the 33 games Pogba played in central midfield last season, in all competitions, he registered nine goals and four assists. Not bad if he had returned to United for £10m (or £25m in today’s climate!), but he did not. However, whilst in Italy his offensive contribution (goals and assists) was more impressive, registering a goal or assist in 59.1% and 54.1% of the games he played in his last two seasons at Juventus in which he was deployed as a midfielder compared with only a 39.4% contribution per game in the same position at United.

There is an obvious caveat. Last season Pogba played in a side that only managed to score 54 goals throughout the league campaign, and therefore it should hardly come as a surprise to see his contribution per game fall. However, if we calculate the contribution he had on team goals then this argument crumbles. Looking at the Premier League campaign alone, his nine goals and assists equate to a 20.5% contribution towards the club’s goals (nine divided by the 44 goals he was on the pitch for, multiplied by 100). This can be contrasted with his 30.9% contribution towards Juventus goals whilst he was on the pitch in the season which caught Mourinho’s eye.
It is true that Juventus only conceded 20 goals in Serie A this time around, and the offensive dominance they show in such games makes it hardly surprising to see an attack-oriented player’s contribution towards his side’s goals higher than it was for United, where his defensive duties sap life out of his attacking potential. Whilst United only conceded 29 goals, prima facie not significantly greater, this masks the contribution of David De Gea and the greater attention Pogba therefore had to dedicate to defending, showcased by a solitary assist in the nine games he played in defensive midfield last term.

This is where Matic comes in. Even if Pogba is not played in the trequartista role, the Serbian relieves him of the considerably burdensome defensive role he had last season. The defensive midfielder stands at 6′ 4″ and is competent playing as the anchor in a 4-1-3-2 from his time at Benfica, as well as a deep midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 under Mourinho and a 3-4-3 under Conte at Chelsea; he is the perfect ‘release’ for Pogba.
Fans can expect a re-emphasis on going forwards with the ball now. There is no need for his mind to be overridden by thoughts of getting back, or playing the simple pass in preference for staying in position rather than driving at defenders. Matic covers that role. - Read Sport