Nemanja Matic details major Chelsea and Man Utd difference – ‘I had anger’
Nemanja Matic has compared his time at Manchester United and Chelsea, with the veteran midfielder claiming the Blues were more focused on results than the Red Devils
Former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic has claimed “trophies were not the focus” during his time at Old Trafford. Matic never won a trophy during his five-year stint at United, but lifted two Premier League titles and an FA Cup during his preceding time at Chelsea.
And Matic has now compared his experience at the two clubs, claiming results on the pitch were the main focus at Chelsea and that was simply not the case at United. The veteran midfielder says he had the “anger to win trophies” when he first signed in 2017, but he believes the club was “more commercial-minded”.
When asked about his time at Old Trafford, Matic told the Athletic : “We did our best every single year, the players, the coaches. In my first year, we finished second. We were leading in January but Man City won.
“We finished second, sixth, third, second and sixth. We played in the Europa League, Super Cup and FA Cup finals. We played Champions League in four of my five seasons. But we didn’t win.
“If I compare how we did with United now, then we did great, but of course United cannot be happy finishing second. United need to be winning leagues. We gave it our best and sometimes we’d get criticised, but I didn’t see any major problems in the club.
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“The organisation was very good, the conditions perfect. The difference I felt after Chelsea was that, at Chelsea, everything was about the result and winning trophies. That was the spirit in the whole club, even from the man who cuts the grass.
“Roman Abramovich would only ask us about results. At United, it was more commercial-minded. I started to think that after a couple of months in the club. I understand that our salary needs to be paid, but I felt that the results were not the focus like it was at Chelsea.
“I maybe did two commercial jobs at Chelsea, at United it was far more. I arrived at United with the anger to win trophies like I had at Chelsea, but step by step I started to feel that trophies were not the focus. Maybe I’m not right, but that was my feeling inside.”
Matic is currently plying his trade in Ligue 1 with Lyon and is now set to lock horns with United in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with the first leg taking place in France. “The atmosphere will be amazing, the stadium is very good,” he added.
“People can expect a very good game. We have a lot of good, experienced, players here, a big squad. Of course, Rayan Cherki is someone who a lot of clubs are watching, an amazing talent who can decide a game in one movement.
“Alex Lacazette is here, who many people know. It will be hard for United and the Europa League is very important for both clubs.
“Here, we’re trying to reach our space in the top three in Ligue 1 so that we can play Champions League next season — that’s where Lyon became famous around the world and we want to get back there — but we could do that by winning the Europa League.
“It’s a big game. The fans will be loud here. The fans are different to England. To get the same support that you get in the Premier League in France, you need good results. In England, I’ve seen a team get relegated in the Premier League and still get clapped by the fans because they felt the players gave everything.”
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