Why the battle between Nemanja Matic and Stewart Downing could decide Chelsea v West Ham clash

[KoLiKoV]

Chelsea and West Ham will meet on Boxing Day at Stamford Bridge in a game that shouldn’t be anywhere near as one sided as last season. In that game West Ham defended for the vast majority of the 90 minutes with Chelsea unable to break Sam Allardyce’s side down.

 

However this season the Hammers should be more than a match for Chelsea given the more expansive style of football they have been playing this season.

 

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One of the men who has been crucial in this revival is Stewart Downing, who has undergone a transformation of his own. Over the course of the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons for Liverpool and West Ham, Downing registered four goals and seven assists. This season alone he has registered four goals and six assists so he is evidently in the form of his life.

 

Part of the reason behind Downing’s rejuvenation is his move in position. He’s been a winger throughout his career but this season Allardyce has moved him inside to play behind the striker as part of the diamond formation he is employing this season. Most Liverpool and England fans probably would have thought that Allardyce was mad to try this but so far it has proven to be an inspired decision by the West Ham boss.

 

On Boxing Day, Downing will face his toughest test of the season so far, in the form of Chelsea’s midfield anchor Nemanja Matic. The Serbian has been one of the best players in the league this season, alongside Downing, and it is no coincidence that the only game Chelsea have lost so far was when Matic was missing through suspension. Since resigning for the club in January from Benfica, Matic has quickly established himself as a key cog in Jose Mourinho’s side.