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From playing on loan for a second tier club in Serbia because he couldn’t break into the Partizan first team 3 years ago, to making his first team debut against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Matija Nastasic has come a long way.
The young defender has made his mark on the Premier League, and is keeping Joleon Lescott (we can also add Kolo Toure safely to the list) out of the Manchester City team. Pace is a major part of his style of play, and his relationship and understanding with Vincent Kompany makes the City duo a difficult defense to breach. Where Kompany makes up for Nastasic’s strength, Nastasic is equally up to the mark with his speed and agility.
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The 20 year old from West Serbia is an agile defender. At 6 ft 2, he is naturally a target at set pieces. Though not well known for scoring goals, his anticipation and discipline on the field (1 yellow in 19 games for City) make him very important in the Manchester City XI. He can also deputize as a leftback. In the national side, he partners Nemanja Vidic in central defense. At just 20 years of age, he has made himself indispensable for club and country. While playing, he does avoid the occasional tackle, but his marking skills and his pace make him a difficult brain to beat.
His 21-game stint with FK Teleoptik Zemun was enough to catch the Viola’s eyes and he was whisked off to Italy before even featuring for Partizan Belgrade. Fiorentina signed him for 2mn GBP and he was made to mark Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his very first start. His performances with Fiorentina (with the aid of his compatriot manager Mihajlovic) made him a target for Manchester City who signed him for 12 mn GBP, with Stevan Savic going the other way
“Nastasic is a different sort of player to Vidic , more of a Bobby Moore and Franz Beckenbauer style of player. I’m not saying Nastasic is as a good as Beckenbauer because we’ve got to see more of him.” – Kevin Keegan(Former City Manager)
Nastasic has come a long way at a very ripe age, and he has a long way to go. I wish him well and hope he avoids another Jonathan Woodgate-type breakdown.
