Nemanja Matic vs Fabinho: Comparing the two Manchester United midfield targets

Jose Mourinho has a tough task on his hand choosing between Nemanja Matic and Fabinho

If the rumour mill is anything to go by, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United are set to have another blockbuster transfer window. Having splurged on the likes of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan last season, the Old Trafford outfit is now consistently linked with a number of high-profile names as they look set to resurrect the squad and bring back the glory years the club enjoyed under the regime of Sir Alex Ferguson.

One position that came under a lot of scrutiny at the club last season was that of the defensive midfielder and Mourinho seems to have identified players who have could help bring the best out of the likes of Ander Herrera and Pogba. Two names, in particular, are being talked about in depth across numerous conversations amongst United fans are Fabinho and Nemanja Matic and in this segment, we take a look at which amongst the two could prove to be a better fit at the Manchester club.

Nemanja Matic vs Fabinho

Nemanja Matic is a proven Premier League star and would be a great addition to the Manchester United side

While they are both defensive midfielders by trade, over the course of their careers, they have adopted a different medium to remain effective in the centre of the park. While Matic is very sound positionally and does not afford a lot of space and time to the opposition with his proactiveness, Fabinho could be termed as a player who is industrious and uses his physicality to keep the opposition at bay with a mix of strong tackles and interceptions.

The Brazilian midfielder last season attempted 215 tackles while the Serbian took the route of going with his vision of the game to keep the opposition at bay.

While there is very little to differentiate between the two when it comes to their efficiency on the ground (while Matic had a tackling efficiency of 37%, Fabinho came out on top in 36% of his duels on the ground), there remains no doubt as to which amongst is a bigger threat in the air with Fabinho coming up trumps –  a far greater asset in the air having won double the numbers of aerial duels compared to Matic

Over the course of last season, we witnessed the players being pushed to their limits as oppositions tried to find a way past them and that is when their vision of the game was tested and statistically speaking, there is very little to differentiate between the two midfielders.

Perhaps, if there is one aspect of the game in which Matic can be considered superior to not just Fabinho but several other players on the planet, it was his ability to keep possession intact. However, if the statistics from the last two seasons are anything to go by, we believe there is not a lot to differentiate between the two with Fabinho being equally effective.

The Monaco midfielder possesses a passing range very similar to Matic and it was perhaps very surprising to find that while the Chelsea midfielder, on an average, was dispossessed once every 90 minutes, the man from Monaco was dispossessed only once in 180 minutes.

Fabinho trumps Matic as an attacking threat

Fabinho’s performances for Monaco over the last 2 seasons have made him a name to reckon with.

The general persona that Matic has established over the course of his career is that while he can strike the ball really well, he is not really a goal scoring option. The Serbian midfielder, however, has established himself as one of Chelsea’s creative forces.

With seven assists last season, he was amongst the top four creators at Stamford Bridge alongside Cesc Fabregas (12 assists), Pedro (9 assists) and Diego Costa (7 assists). While the Brazilian did not rake up as many assists as the Serbian, he did create a higher number of chances per 90 minutes and that, we believe, should be the measure of their performance here. Add to that the Brazilian’s ability to consistently knock it in the back of the net and we know who is a greater threat going forward.

While some might cite that Matic does not need to score any many goals since the Chelsea strikers do their job, things would be a little different at Old Trafford. Only Southampton and West Brom scored fewer goals in the League amongst the top 10 that the Red Devils last season in the Premier League and the side’s inability to score enough goals drew a lot of ire from fans and Fabinho would prove to be a great addition in this department.

While the statistics have been laid bare in front of you, there is a lot more that could influence the decision of “The Special One”. First up, Mourinho has already worked with Matic in the past, having managed him at Chelsea and is completely aware of what the player brings to the table. Add to that his established reputation in the Premier League and the experience of over 150 games and Mourinho has a perfect addition to his side which needs to add proven resources.

Fabinho, on the other hand, will be moving to a totally different league and that could be a concern that could turn Mourinho’s head towards Matic. While he did perform admirably at Stade Louis II, the Premier League is definitely a test of a player’s mettle given the demands of the league and he might need some time to adapt to the new league.

That said, it should also be mentioned that while many believe Matic has already peaked and his best years are behind him, Fabinho is still yet to enter his prime and could prove to be the long-term solution to the club’s midfield troubles. Some fans have even gone on to cite that if Chelsea do not want Matic (as it is rumoured to be the case), Manchester United could forego the possibility of signing the player who is not believed to be in the long term plans of their competitors. 

Over the course of the next few days, we will be provided numerous insights on the future of both the players and we are eagerly awaiting to see who Mourinho would go with. Will he choose the experience and reputation of Matic or will he go with the youthful exuberance of Fabinho and gamble on the Brazilian? Only time can tell.