Nemanja Matic was never Ancelotti’s favorite player during his time as the Chelsea manager. After moving to London for £1.5million, Matic barely made his presence felt before being sent off on loan to Arnhem. He then became part of one of Chelsea’s most important deals which brought David Luiz from Benfica to Stamford Bridge.

Matic’s move to Portugal was well received by the Serbian international who made 56 appearances for Benfica.

Fortunately for him Mourinho returned to take over the Blues in 2013. Matic was quite the unexpected target for Chelsea after letting him go just 3 years back. According to the Daily Mail, buying back the 25 year old, made Abramovich look bad considering he is the one who approved the initial buy when Ancelotti was manager.

The Russian club owner had to pay £21million for the midfielder who has grown into one of the best defensive midfield players in Europe.

Mourinho’s confidence in his own decisions reached an all-time high when he decided to use Matic against City. The Serbian was declared the man of the match, proving once again the Special One really knows what he is doing, unlike Abramovich whose need to get involved in the team’s affairs pushed Mou away after his first mandate at Stamford Bridge.

Hopefully for Chelsea, Matic will continue his excellent performances. With Essien gone and with Mikel not playing much, bringing in an excellent defensive midfielder like Benfica’s former player will really help the Blues maintain their hopes of keeping first place in the Premier League.