Sorry but before the QPR game, many were calling for him to be dropped.
If your saying Mata as been bad then fair enough but however you rank is performances he's been better than RvP, that's for sure.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 35
- Goals
- 10
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
If your saying Mata as been bad then fair enough but however you rank is performances he's been better than RvP, that's for sure.
I don't agree with dropping him but we'll see how it works out.
He's had it.
Van Gaal just keeps disappointing, great stuff. Drop one of our best players from last game for lethargic RvP who is in his worst form in career/striker playing in number 10/new player who isn't even our player and showed nothing to claim starting position yet. But as long as we win everything will be fine.
Mata must have pissed Gary Neville off once or twice.
That's not what I'm saying. It's what a good portion of the caf were saying however. I've been defending Mata actually. I love the little guy.
Seriously Nev and Scholes go a bit OTT with their impartiality sometimes to the extent that it feels like they go out of their way to criticise United's players. Especially Mata for some unfathomable reason.
How can a new player show something if he isn't playing? You can make that argument if Falcao has played 10 games and hasnt scored but not now.
I think Mata behind Rooney & Falcao would be my choice but LvG clearly thinks Mata and Rooney would overlap too much - hence why RvP starts. My thinking is if RvP doesnt look up for it today we will have Mata/Rooney/Falcao start the next game.
I think LVG probably thinks that Mata will not do well against a pressing team like Leceister. So he is just a victim of the strategy for this game.
Giggs dropped Mata in one of his games in charge and he came on to score 2 goals, hopefully he can answer LVG the same way.
All will be fine when he comes on for RVP and scores, smiles and starts next week.
Pretty harsh words, and maybe worrying for Mata. After all, where else is Mata going to play?
That said, LVG has a pretty blunt way of putting things. Perhaps best not to read too much into it.
Just because he showed class for other club means he should be an automatic starter for us? Mata deserves to be dropped for new striker just because we paid big money for him?
Yeah it's funny really, he was probably the least impressive out of our midfield diamond against qpr as well. His form has been exactly the same as van persies this season, apart from scoring two tap ins, but because he got dropped today doesn't mean this is how it will always be. Rvp needs a goal as much as anyone and van gaal could be trying to play him into form.
He isn't an automatic starter. This is his first start. Did I say Mata should be dropped? Did you read my post above in this page?
It makes no sense to me because it sounds like he rated Van Persie's performance
Well Neville, you let us down from a defensive perspective time and time again in our biggest games (the games against RM come to mind immediately), but in Mata's case thank God he is actually here to attack and not a defender or a defensive mid.
Neville is hugely annoying with all his Mata hatred, really. Maybe he's fighting his inner manly love for him this way?
I hope that Van Gaal would see that Mata is our best n.10
I hope that Van Gaal would see that Mata is our best n.10
^ this...
If you were unhappy with Rooney how could you be happy with RvP?
And this get on Mata stuff is just obtuse. He is an ACM and he is sublime. I hope LVG just wants to rest mata and save him some lumps, cause after AdM Mata is the 2nd name on my dream United team...
Weird. Now we have the sort of attacking personell to help Mata thrive he's dropped.
Rooney might offer more defensively than Mata does but Mata infinitely better from an attacking perspective in the #10.
In the #10 Rooney's first thought when he receives the ball seems to be "get it out wide" whereas Mata is cute enough with the ball to feed the strikers.
Rooney might offer more defensively than Mata does but Mata infinitely better from an attacking perspective in the #10.
In the #10 Rooney's first thought when he receives the ball seems to be "get it out wide" whereas Mata is cute enough with the ball to feed the strikers.
Leicester 5:3 Man Utd
Ridiculous that RvP starts and Mata is benched imo. No matter if RvP scores - he's done nothing to be starting over Mata. Very harsh and clear favouritism.
Lost the ball cheaply in a very dangerous position, which lead to the fourth goal. Not sure why LVG put him on for Di Maria, mind. He should have been put on as a number 10, with Rooney partnering Van Persie.
Should be our first choice number 10.
His lack of physicality was an issue again although Rojo was mostly at fault, that was a terrible ball to play in that situation. As you said, I have no idea why Van Gaal put him in midfield, Di Maria didn't seem to be struggling and surely it would have made more sense to bring on an actual central midfielder if there was an issue. I suspect Mata is going to be mostly a substitute waiting for one of our 3 strikers to get injured.
I know he is a huge Caf favourite and seems a very genuine and nice guy, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he is sold in one of the next two windows, I think LvG will be looking to add more pace and physicality and Mata lacks both.
He's the type of player who is a bit of a luxury in some ways but to get the most out of him you have to build the team around him. If we start him in the number ten role I'm sure he will be great for us. Anywhere else not so much. I don't think he's the type of player you want to bring on as a sub either.
I think the problem currently is who kept him out. Van Persie, though he scored and had a hand in the third goal, was an absolute liability in attack. Last week he was helping us with clever and quick passing that had us playing some sensational stuff. You'd think if Falcao had been at the end of the two or three chances Van Persie got we would have been out of sight before we collapsed like a deck of cards. With Mata in there you'd have fancied him to create more chances. However our biggest issue was not a lack of goals, three goals should at least, at worst, earn you a draw. That collapse was pathetic!
It's funny ppl complain about him not defending and then when he doesn't play we looked awful, as well, got overrun, couldn't keep the ball, scored 2 goals because of Falcao's and Di Maria's individual brilliance and conceded 3!
when we lose the ball, he s a ball watcher. I can't see a serious premiership team affording more than one such player, perhaps a maximum of two in easier games. We have Mata, rvp and falcao, I think eventually lvg will opt fir the latter two
Falcao actually did his share of dropping back and getting a couple of interceptions today.
We dominated possession so I'm not sure where you're getting the idea we couldn't keep the ball. We actually got far worse at keeping the ball when Mata came on.
Needs to play, he scores goals and/or assists. Pure and simple.
Yep agree with all of that
We gave the ball away too often before Mata got on. That's why we conceded 3 times. Of course we were going to lose more possesion once Leicester get even tighter and Di Maria comes off. If he had actually started with Mata or at least brought him on earlier the team would have been more balanced.
Valencia>Mata right?
Btw, LvG agrees. Even more baffling then why he didn't act quicker:
"We didn't keep ball possession in the right way," said Van Gaal. "Leicester have already showed against Arsenal and Stoke that they can come back and they did it very well.
- Status