While Nemanja Matic was duly named man of the match on his Manchester United debut against West Ham, his selection in the starting XI posed an immediate question: where does Ander Herrera fit in now?
The Spain international was left on the bench during United’s opening day nailing of the Hammers, with Matic being preferred to start alongside Paul Pogba. Herrera and Matic started together alongside Pogba in the UEFA Super Cup earlier this month, but on Sunday, manager Jose Mourinho reverted to a 4-2-3-1 and chose to leave Herrera out of the XI.
Is Matic vs Herrera going to be a recurring debate all season? Here, we make a case for each player.
After a mixed start to last season, Manchester United began to flourish after one crucial change was made to the team: Michael Carrick was restored to the starting XI.
Carrick’s presence stabilised the team and allowed Pogba more freedom to go forward and express himself.
Matic’s value to United is more or less the same as Carrick’s. Although the Serb doesn’t have the same passing range, he offers the same solid, stable presence in front of the team’s defence and similarly frees up Pogba. Indeed, an oft-repeated point in analysing Matic’s transfer to United was that his presence would unlock Pogba’s true potential.
Herrera is disciplined enough to play as a holding midfielder, as he’s shown on multiple occasions, but it’s not his natural role. The Spaniard is a box-to-box midfielder who often has to rein in some of his instincts to play the role Mourinho wants him to. On the other hand, Matic is a much more natural defensive midfielder and thus offers greater balance to the team.
Nemanja Matic
In the three full seasons both players have had in the Premier League, Herrera has consistently outperformed his new teammate across just about every statistical metric. The gap was particularly marked last season, when Herrera grew into his own under Mourinho and Matic struggled under Antonio Conte.
But even in the two seasons before that, Herrera largely outperformed his new teammate despite not getting a regular starting place under Louis van Gaal.
Apart from just the stats, Herrera brings a different dimension to a team compared to Matic. He’s quicker, more mobile, and more energetic. The 28-year-old thus covers much more ground in a game, and can easily switch from helping his defence to joining the attack, or vice versa.
Thus, in comparison to Matic, Herrera is as effective a shield for the defence and a much bigger threat going forward, making his case for starting ahead of the Serb much stronger.
Ander Herrera
Matic and Herrera started alongside Pogba in the UEFA Super Cup tie against Real Madrid. The European champions are a superior side to most teams United will face in the Premier League, and at times the Red Devils’ midfield did struggle against Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro – but that was bound to happen, and there were also times when Matic and Herrera held their own.
Marouane Fellaini came on for Herrera in that match and nearly turned the game on its head, but that is more an indication of Fellaini’s unique gifts than any knock on Herrera. Ultimately, a midfield of Herrera, Matic, and Pogba still seems like a way for Mourinho to put out the most balanced United side possible. Herrera and Matic should suit each other’s games, as they both recycle the ball well and move it quickly.
Playing them together further reduces the defensive burden on Pogba, while having Matic in the team also lessens Herrera’s own defensive responsibilities, allowing Pogba and Herrera to both join United’s three attacking players, with Matic pulling the strings behind them. When United are defending, Matic will have the tactically disciplined Herrera alongside him rather than shouldering the defensive duties on his own.
While Mourinho picked Matic over Herrera on Sunday, expect the two midfielders to start together quite often over the course of the season.
The midfield set-up United can opt for
