LONDON: In Nemanja Matic and Thiago Motta, on Wednesday's Champions League clash between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain pitches together two examples of a central component in the Jose Mourinho trophy-winning formula.
Tall, left-footed holding players, Chelsea's Matic and PSG's Motta excel both with and without the ball, fulfilling the principal criteria that Mourinho has come to look for in the 'number six' defensive midfield position.
The Chelsea manager first encountered Motta during his time as Louis van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona, where the future Italy international arrived as a 17-year-old from his native Brazil in 1999.
Ten years later they were reunited at Inter Milan. Motta joined from Genoa and played an important role in the team that Mourinho led to glory in Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in 2010, although he missed the European final after being sent off against Barcelona in the semi-final.
Signed by PSG in 2012, he has again become a fulcrum, affording midfield partners Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi the freedom to drive forward in coach Laurent Blanc's 4-3-3 formation.
"The position he plays in is perfect for his qualities and for Paris's philosophy," Mourinho said last year.
"They want the ball and in their championship, they have it. In his role, he constructs, organises and sets the tempo."
In building his teams, Mourinho has often used the number six as a cornerstone.
At Porto he had Costinha, another wiry, combative player, and the scorer of the goal against Manchester United during the 2003-04 Champions League that sent Mourinho sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline and into the wider football consciousness.
At Chelsea there was Claude Makelele, the tip of the inverted midfield triangle with which Mourinho swamped the central midfield pairings that prevailed in England at the time.
After Motta, at Real Madrid came Xabi Alonso, whose elegance was often supplemented by the brawn of Pepe for matches against major rivals.
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