‘Back soon’ – Former Chelsea midfielder backs the Blues to reach titles again after recent slump

BY ALESSANDRO SCHIAVONE

Nemanja Matic is confident that Chelsea will again be a force to be reckoned with in world football in the coming years.

The Serbian midfielder won two Premier Leagues at Stamford Bridge back in 2015 and 2017 – the final time the Blues lifted the trophy.

Although there’s a discernible melancholy in his voice as he reflects on the Blues’ demise, he is upbeat that the good times will return in SW6.

He said: “What I see is that Chelsea are trying to do their best.

“Of course the season is not great [but] that’s football.

“It’s easy to speak from the distance but I am sure Chelsea will be back soon.

“They need to change some things and they know that better than me.

“But Chelsea have all the conditions to be successful [again].”

Debates over whether some of their players are actually good enough to play for a club of Chelsea’s stature have been incessant since Todd Boehly’s takeover.

But Matic believes they are there for a reason, insisting that they only need time to find their feet at the top level.

He said: “When you have such a young team like they have with a lot of new players, you need some time to adapt.

“To play in Premier League and to play for Chelsea, you need to have quality [because] you can not play if you don’t have quality.”

“They [also] have a great coach in Pochettino, so we will see.

“It’s hard to talk without knowing things from inside.”

Some, including Axel Disasi, who played with both, believe World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez bears all the hallmarks of a young Cesc Fabrègas and can hit the same heights in his career.

But Matic warned: “Enzo is a good player, I followed him also when played in Benfica because Benfica were my club [between 2012 and 2014].

“He’s a good player who is still young, he is still improving, and I am happy to see him in my ex-club.

“But it’s hard to say if he can become as good as Cesc, who was a different type.

“He was playing higher up the pitch and was box-to-box.

“It’s difficult to compare them because they are not the same type of players.”