Pretty much. He is contributing more end product than anyone we're picking over him.
The fact that he makes our team more balanced is almost secondary.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 35
- Goals
- 10
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
Pretty much. He is contributing more end product than anyone we're picking over him.
The fact that he makes our team more balanced is almost secondary.
I reiterate the fact that he is one of the best #10s in the world. We are lucky to have him and it will be a huge mistake to sell him. If LVG needs pace up front, he should let go of RVP and add a striker with more pace. Its not the end of the world if every single player is not quick up front. Look at the #10s in the world - are all of the them quick? No! Oscar, Isco, Silva, Iniesta, Ozil, Rodgriguez etc. are a few of the top #10s and they aren't exactly lighting quick.
Mata was the only bright spot in the second half of the season for us last year. He found a way to score and was good even though every single player around him was shit. It will be an utter waste to sell him now because he has top players around him. We have a chance to see how good he can really be. I think he can emulate his Chelsea form where he scored like 12-15 and assisted more than 20. Even team has defensive frailties. The answer is not to sell them but find a way to compensate for it.
As did Scholes on a fairly frequent basis, yet you would have been crazy to leave him out of your team back in the day.
He just adds a different dimension to our team as he's the only one who's extremely comfortable in the tightest of areas and under pressure. A player like that offers confidence and makes the team more comfortable and I don't think we'd have turned this nervous and stressed if he was on the team instead of Rooney.
Not sure what Rooney adds in that number 10 role, we already have two world class strikers up front - we don't need more goals or presence inside of the box.
Not sure what Rooney adds in that number 10 role, we already have two world class strikers up front - we don't need more goals or presence inside of the box.
Sort of and the bigger point is Mata plays up front with three central midfielders behind him as cover. Scholes played in a midfield 2 with no midfielders behind him as cover.
Agreed, it's baffling how quickly some opinions of him seem to have changed recently. The guy's fecking quality and should be one of the first names on the team sheet for us.
Oscar is an AM not a luxury #10, he puts a lot of defensive work in and can also play on the flanks. Ozil has struggled here due to being too weak and lazy. Silva is the only one on your list that is a genuine success story in our league and he does it floating off the wing where less defensive work is needed, Silva also is much better at protecting the ball where Mata just gets knocked off it too easily.
There is no rule in football that says you have to play with a #10 and with Di Maria and Herrera in the side we are not short of good creative passers. I might be wrong and you can come back to this and put me in my place, but I see LvG selling Mata and adding another box to box CM to make us more secure and combative in midfield.
Right now there's no better option than Mata as a No 10. Rooney is not a good No 10 if we want a change of style, especially not when Falcao and RvP are playing as well. If LvG wants a "tougher" No 10 he can play Herrera there, BUT not at the moment, as we need him in midfield. So if he doesn't play Mata then he has to come up with another solution. Playing 3 strikers however is not the solution, but the problem. And this was Leicester, not City, Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, ...
No idea why ppl are screaming out for him after our best performance attacking wise without him. We were a joy to watch for 60 mins offensively.
And that underscores the bigger problem: it's fine having creative players like Scholes and Mata in the team, as long as you are sound behind them. In Scholes' case, he was supported by the likes of Keane, Carrick, Rio, Vidic, Stam and Brown, while Mata has had to rely on the likes of Fletcher, 2013-Carrick, Evans, Smalling and Jones to cover up for his defensive lapses.
Perhaps he will discuss his part in the fourth Leicester goal in his next blog post...
Better than last week? My stream was dodgy today, but last week seemed far more convincing.
Can't believe he didn't start today. In the end we scored three goals and still lost, so I doubt he'd have made too much difference to the final score, but that's surely not going to do anything for his confidence after looking like he was returning to some quality form against QPR. Then he gets chucked on god knows where (CM?) In the last twenty and gifts them the ball for the goal, again not going to do anything for his confidence. Think Van Gaal has managed to this one poorly.
Yeah, our attacking performance was not the problem today. It wasn't as good as last week, but it was acceptable and impressive for the first 60 mins of the game.
Opinions on Mata seem to be fluctuating constantly here. A few weeks ago he was disposable, a flop and an unnecessary signing who didn't have a future here. Now, a week on from a very good performance where he showed his ability, he's transformed into the solution to our problems and should automatically be in the team. From one extreme to the other for many.
As much as I enjoy a lot of Neville's punditry, some of his United related stuff often feels very agenda driven, as he wants us to stick to traditional United football, which he doesn't see Mata as being a part of unfortunately. Really disagree with him on that front.
We were fine for the first hour. Mata wasn't missed at all. Starting him wasn't the answer to our problems.
Mata's a cracking player but good under pressure? I'm not so sure about that. He regularly loses the ball when he has a defender at his back as we seen on the 4th goal.
How can you say we were fine when we gave away a 2 margin lead twice? It's not in doubt that when we are leading Mata keeps posession better than probably any of our other players. He should have brought on at 3-1 to keep the result, let alone at 3-2.
With an hour gone we were 3-1 up. How would starting Mata have saved us from being a shambles at the back? We were worse after he came on and it was him losing possession that led to the 4th goal.
Well it's all speculation. What we know is that we didn't concede 5 goals in any game this season when we started him with 2 strikers. And last game we scored 4 goals when he was on the pitch, and got worse when he came off.
He is not an impact sub (just like Rooney and RvP), he needs some mins in a game and he then usually improves. You can't expect him doing much in 17 mins when the team had lost all shape. It's really not rocket science to bring on a mid/attacking mid for a striker to bring a bit more balance, edpecially if you are playing with 3 strikers.
We won't get anywhere if we start all 3 strikers again!
Not sure how this is relevant considering it was a terrible pass from Rojo.
He could've shielded the ball better regardless. Less popular players than Mata would be getting slaughtered for it.
We should just play Valencia ahead of him because he is better defensively. And Falcao too, because he was good for Atletico Madrid.
Rooney will do more defensive work than Mata. Playing Mata will not make us any more solid.
Neville's agenda against Mata is rather cringeworthy now.
Here comes the concept of 'defending' and it's literal meaning. You're as well defending if you're circulating the ball right and your opposition doesn't have it. While I didn't have too much bad things to say about Rooney's performance untill the whole team's gone to shit, I'd rather see Mata in the #10 than him and simply play with two strikers. Mata's synergy with Di Maria, Herrera and even Blind seems to be simply better.
Plus, to me the team looks more gelled together when it's Mata in the #10, rather than two split formations when we're playing 3 strikers in three top positions.
Here comes the concept of 'defending' and it's literal meaning. You're as well defending if you're circulating the ball right and your opposition doesn't have it. While I didn't have too much bad things to say about Rooney's performance untill the whole team's gone to shit, I'd rather see Mata in the #10 than him and simply play with two strikers. Mata's synergy with Di Maria, Herrera and even Blind seems to be simply better.
Plus, to me the team looks more gelled together when it's Mata in the #10, rather than two split formations when we're playing 3 strikers in three top positions.
Nah, if Mata is playing a central role we have to ensure that Fellaini is ahead of him. More defensive minded.
Amazing, isn't it?
Ppl have been ridiculing the likes of Valencia and even Welbeck as "defensive wingers", as they want attacking players to attack and not defend, but Mata, one of the best attackers in the world should be judged on defending?
And Rooney is better? Yep, as shown by his clearance for the equalizer!
I am just completely shocked at LvG playing 3 strikers after complaining that we have an unbalanced squad.
Then if that wasn't bad enough, he doesn't seem to have the balls to take off Rooney or RvP. Very Moyesesque!
Amazing, isn't it?
Ppl have been ridiculing the likes of Valencia and even Welbeck as "defensive wingers", as they want attacking players to attack and not defend, but Mata, one of the best attackers in the world should be judged on defending?
And Rooney is better? Yep, as shown by his clearance for the equalizer!
I am just completely shocked at LvG playing 3 strikers after complaining that we have an unbalanced squad.
Then if that wasn't bad enough, he doesn't seem to have the balls to take off Rooney or RvP. Very Moyesesque!
Mate, I was being sarcastic. I'd have 20 years of Moyes here before I'd want to see Fellaini ahead of Mata.
By far our best no10 and one of our in form players and he gets dropped so Rooney who is nowhere near as good in the no10 role can play. It's true Rooney is undroppable. If Mata is fit he has to start and if that means no RVP, Falcao or Rooney so be it
I know! I agree with you and Amar, that's why I quoted you guys. But seems I am as bad at it as the team today at football
I know! I agree with you and Amar, that's why I quoted you guys. But seems I am as bad at it as the team today at football
Ah right, I thought you were taking me seriously for a moment.
I think he is agreeing with you!
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Phew! Thank God someone got it!!
This is where this whole concept is flawed, it was not nor should it have been a Rooney or Mata situation. Rooney played well last week, so did Mata and so did the whole team except one man. To play Falcao it's Robin that had to make way and his all round performance only reinforced that fact, in hindsight. Rooney didn't need to be in the hole to contribute defensively either. That said that decision alone didn't cost us the match but it was the manager's inability to shore up a weak defence and the lack of leadership on the pitch that cost us, eventually.
Granted the ball weren't the best from Rojo, I personally feel Mata should be doing better to shield the ball anyway.
And yes @saivet, I'm pretty sure Mata got put on as LCM, replacing Di Maria, with Rooney as a number 10 and Van Persie and Januzaj up top. I personally would have put Januzaj LCM, that he could give us some width - almost playing as a left winger, while pushing Rooney up top, with Mata in the no.10 role.
Mata wasn't really able to influence the game in the position he was in.
It's a joke that we dropped him to start Rooney in the hole. He adds so much more to the team in midfield than Rooney ever will.
Was disappointing to see him on the bench after he played so well against QPR, but this wasn't the reason we lost the game.
This.
Think that's a bit unfair on Scholes, who found ways to not get constantly beaten 1 on 1 despite lacking pace or strength. He was part of some incredible defensive performances in a 2 man midfield, too.
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