For shame, Noodles.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 35
- Goals
- 10
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
For shame, Noodles.
He worded it quite poorly, but Mata getting an assist today doesn't mean he made a superb contribution to the game overall. Barring that, he was fairly quiet and didn't have much of an impact. For a player who's entire role involves being involved and actually making an impact, that's quite disappointing. Strikers arguably have more leeway in that they can get away with scoring but performing poorly, however creative players like Mata are expected to do just that - create.
Ironically, some people had been calling for LVG to drop RVP for Mata, despite the fact that RVP had managed to score despite playing poorly in a couple of games himself.
I don't see any difference in Mata's performances this season than last season personally, lots of goals and the odd assist without ever really running the show like Silva does for City and like Mata did pre Mourinho at Chelsea
I said "half the time" he'll be anonymous.
Today for example, he contributed very little to the team controlling the game - which, as a no.10. should be his role.
The fact that he had one moment higher up the pitch doesn't disguise the fact that the game pretty much passed him by.
The sort of master-class Silva gave yesterday could never come from Mata. And it's got nothing to do with having poor team-mates.
Swap them today, and Silva looks class here, and consistently contributes to us controlling games much better.
Silva might not assist or score as many, but he leaves a bigger mark on the game as a no. 10. You can build around him so much more.
Mata's a numbers man. He'll score and assist, but - like Rooney - almost at the expense of cohesion and of dictating the game.
Mata was clearly one of our better players when he arrived last season, and was technically above numerous players in our side. He often looked like one of the few players who could actually do something different and creative in a side which played some dire, unimaginative football.
Of course, our team in general has already improved massively this season, but Mata himself has been really quiet and anonymous at times for us. He's not been overly creative or imaginative when on the ball.
I don't think it's fair to blame his struggles on Mourinho. Perhaps you'd have had a point if he was still at Chelsea, but again, if Mata's still struggling with confidence because a guy who managed him nearly a year ago wasn't a big fan of him, then that's his own mentality problem.
Well said. In a nutshell he needs to pull his finger out and grow a set or else he is going the way of Berbatov, Veron and Kagawa. And we are rich enough not to worry too much about his transfer fee....
Mata didn't run the show at Chelsea:
a) The show was rubbish. They were poor in the league for the two years Mata was there.
b) they played back to front with a lack of discipline and didn't keep the ball that well. He scored and assisted lots in a pretty poor side that didn't control games very well, but he didn't run any show anything like Silva does at City.
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I don't think his form is any much different to how he's played since coming here tbh. It's pretty funny really, as the majority of this forum were singing his praises last season at anything he did no matter how large or small, yet now when he's not really doing much different, he gets slated. Maybe because our level of players have risen since the arrival of of a certain few and people are now viewing what the likes are Di Maria is achieving in a United shirt and comparing that to what Mata offers? Up to now though, his form for United has never been close to his best form at Chelsea and for some reason he just doesn't look like he fits in with our attacking play when we aim to counter fast. Time will tell I suppose whether he is the right fit for us.
He was awful today, you know his limitations are strength and pace and you can accept that if he is displaying his touch, passing, movement, composure etc, but he just wasn't at the races on the ball, very indecisive and lacked confidence, wasted some very good attacking possession.
Did Jose sell us a dud?
You forget Mata's performances against us then
It doesn't matter how good or bad Chelsea were Mata was taking games by the scruff of their neck nonetheless something he hasn't done at all at United
He's a class player but you just have to look at the whole package. You need to build the side around him and accept that he'll be a passenger defensively, but you want to get him on the ball with space to pick the opposition apart often too. Some might see this as clutching at straws but it does make a difference playing as a 10 behind one or 2 strikers. He's limited in that he can only play as an attacking midfielder because of his lack of any physical qualities pretty much, meaning he can only play in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. We have better attacking players like Di maria, world class strikers like Falcao, Rooney and Van Persie and just someone else in his position who offers a lot more defensively, and more goals and assists as well (Rooney). He doesn't look poor or anything, it's just with the competition he has for his spot, he doesn't make enough of an impact or just isn't as good as Di Maria going forward to have us build our team around him and make him undroppable. Then once a player isn't an automatic first choice player anymore, they lose confidence and just generally don't play as well as when they are always first choice.
He took games by the scruff of the neck in the sense that he scored and assisted. But he never showed the ability to dictate games consistently or run the show like Silva. It's just not his game.
I don't think he's much worse than he was a Chelsea - he's still scoring and assisting. He's just playing for a manager who actually demands a degree of discipline and control from his side, and in a side who aren't completely Gung-ho, like Di Matteo's.
Becoming the new Kagawa. Does feck all yet people want us to build the team around him. For all his obvious talent he's been a disappointing signing so far
Out of curiosity, if someone offered 38 million for him in January, would you sell? I would
Yes, because there's no point keeping a player who's going to warm the bench when a team would be willing to offer 38M for him. We'd be better off getting a squad player for less money, who suits Van Gaal's philosophy better.
a. I don't think anyone will offer us anywhere near 38M for him... but they might offer us 25M for him and I would probably take it.
b. Yes he set up a goal and had a decent (yet not spectacular) 60 mins but he should never have been on the pitch at the end of this game or any other game when we are defending a one goal lead. He is a defensive liability (as he was vs Leicester). I was stunned when LVG took off Valencia, who I thought put in a fairly decent shift today and certainly offers much better strength on the ball and miles better defensive coverage than Mata.
For 38m you really do need first choice. I think LVG would sell for that as well. If Fabregas was sat in there today you'd see a far better player.
Err if you are not aware of LVG being a huge believer in best form of defence is attack you really need to look at our 2 striker formation again at the expense of a midfielder.....
It may be time to admit that this type of player just doesn't fit what we do. Easier to take now that the preferred alternative isn't to stick it wide to Young and Valencia for the whole match.
Edit: I very much mean it only "may" be. I'm far from writing Mata off as a bad fit yet.
Essentially he's got a three part audition. And though he didn't really fluff the first one, it was just a bit meh.
A performance to some up all his performances today. I don't think he has hit top level this season yet still produces an assist but needs to be more involved overall a 6/10 max, it wasn't his best day
This is exactly what I felt seeing his performances of late. He slows the game (as does RvP) way too much for my liking.
If Rooney will give this kind of performance some here would be saying he needs to be dropped.
He was very sloppy on the ball and give nothing in defense. I remember him got knocked off the ball 2-3 times. He needs to step up, work hard in defense and be as confident on the ball as we all know he can be. He still have 2 games to prove himself and it was only one game, he already played very well for us this season, so we have just wait and see what he will deliver in next two games.
He was very sloppy on the ball and give nothing in defense. I remember him got knocked off the ball 2-3 times. He needs to step up, work hard in defense and be as confident on the ball as we all know he can be. He still have 2 games to prove himself and it was only one game, he already played very well for us this season, so we have just wait and see what he will deliver in next two games.
Whilst he can look anonymous at times I'd still take him in the number 10 role ahead of Rooney, at least while we're playing the current formation. With Blind being quite isolated at times it's important that possession isn't lost cheaply and possession is maintained. It's not like we're short of attacking threat
The thing is, atm Mata is losing possession cheaply and easily. He's getting knocked off the ball far to regularly.
The problem for Mata is that a #10 in a diamond needs to get through a lot more graft than a #10 in a 'midfield 5', which is what he's used to (two CMs, two wide AMs and a #10).
The difficulty is that switching to something like that means shifting Di Maria either into a midfield 2 or out wide, both of which I'd argue would be a waste of his talent.
Fingers crossed we get back into the UCL and the different styles our playing staff allow us to play stops being a problem and starts being a positive.
The difficulty is that switching to something like that means shifting Di Maria either into a midfield 2 or out wide, both of which I'd argue would be a waste of his talent.
Fingers crossed we get back into the UCL and the different styles our playing staff allow us to play stops being a problem and starts being a positive.
Today he probably did more so than usual but overall with his quality passing he's undeniably better at keeping the ball in the attacking third. Rooney is always going to be a more direct threat and he'll also offer his best Scott Parker impression but playing RVP, Falcao and Rooney is crazy. I'd personally drop RVP and move Rooney up front.
Mata certainly is not another Kagawa anyway!
The easy ticking over he does really sets aside the blockbusting new type of fans critique.
Yeah its all subjective viewing,but i really thought he kept things going forward more often than sideways or backwards.
8/10 hybrid that will only get better,and whats for damn sure hes much better as a 10 than Wayne.Thats unfair though as wayne isnt a 10.
Yeah its all subjective viewing,but i really thought he kept things going forward more often than sideways or backwards.
8/10 hybrid that will only get better,and whats for damn sure hes much better as a 10 than Wayne.Thats unfair though as wayne isnt a 10.
Maybe he's just having a bad season? Paul Scholes is my favourite player ever, and even he had a few rough patches. I remember the 2004-5 season starting quite badly for him. I think we're too quick to hit the panic button. We're lucky to have both Mata and Rooney, and whoever is in the better form and/or health will likely get the start.
Was thinking the same thing. When playing from the back Blind looks for ADM- Blind made one pass to Mata-11 to Di Maria. ADM made 9 pases to Mata, but Mata mainly just passed it out wide rather than picking out a runner.
Seems like Mata is more suited to a system where he receives the ball deeper in MF and then orchestrates the play-but the strategy appears to be letting ADM unlock defenses by running at them.
From crying about him being on the bench to questions about selling him in January..
My god..
For this kind of performance we saw today Rooney would get slated no end..
Matter of fact is Rooney looked good in nr. 10 position, and today Mata wasnt involved in the game as much as he should've been.
My god..
For this kind of performance we saw today Rooney would get slated no end..
Matter of fact is Rooney looked good in nr. 10 position, and today Mata wasnt involved in the game as much as he should've been.
I think the same. I can't see us selling Mata and tbh he don't have bad season. He was very good against QPR and wasn't as bad today as some are saying.
He just need to keep the ball rather to be knocked off the ball 2-3 per game in bad area and he need to improve his defending. He is a very good player and will be very usefull through the season.
That may be the case, but since he's got a lot of competition and there have been rumours surrounding his future, it could end up that he's not here next season even if this just is a one-off, poor season he's having.
Reading this thread I feel like reading DDG's thread from 2 or 3 weeks ago when he was blamed for 'not doing enough' and 'not saving penalties'.
He was very timid today though, the easy option was his choice more often than not.
I never thought I would say it but him and van Persie in the same team just doesn't work. In terms of pace and athleticism something has to give either way and the pair of them have their deficiencies in this regard.
I think they're both fantastic but both are luxuries who were brought in illogically with very short term views. I do hope there is a way to squeeze more out of Mata, because I don't think there are many in his position who can be as productive.
I think we need "squad" players of as high a quality as possible. If we want to win the champions league again we need the depth in positions the likes of Mata gives us otherwise we may as well keep players like Cleverley. The more depth in quality the more pressure on 1st choice players to perform. We need to keep Mata and players of his ability because we need depth in quality to be able to win trophies.
BTW what is it about Mata that doesnt suit LVG's philosophy?
- Status