Surprised at the lack of comparison to Matic. Very similar in style of play. Matic is probably a bit better on the ball.
Really? I'm not seeing that at all.
Rice seems much more physically capable than even a peak Matic. A better tackler, more defensively solid. I guess there's a reason it was debated whether Rice would become a CB, he would probably be fairly natural in some systems with his stature and discipline.
Matic is more of a passer of the ball, that happens to be tall but doesn't really use his physicality all that much. He could shield the ball and get up and down when he had legs but I think his capabilities were largely his technical play in the typical style of players from that region. I don't really see this in Rice, at least not yet. Competent yes, but a good few levels off Matic in the buildup.
They seem quite different to me. I'd still rather have a peak Matic given the choice, because I am not entirely convinced Rice's blend of skills are the answer yet. It only seems to answer one side of the equation and then we are pretty much praying it somehow unlocks something in Pogba. I don't see who's helping us with our passing and consistency of passing from deep.