I thought it made sense to keep him on since he has plenty of games where he's anonymous for large periods, but pops up with a moment of magic to win a game for us or contribute to an important goal. But yeah, very quiet game overall.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 54
- Goals
- 11
- Assists
- 11
- Yellow cards
- 7
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
I thought it made sense to keep him on since he has plenty of games where he's anonymous for large periods, but pops up with a moment of magic to win a game for us or contribute to an important goal. But yeah, very quiet game overall.
We were searching for a goal. No one in the team more reliable at picking a pass or popping up somewhere.
He wasn't good today but I think he should have stayed on as we were controlling the second half, and he can make a contribution despite not playing well in a game. He always has that killer pass or goal in him.
strange vibe from him today, sulking at decisions and many times stayed central when Valencia needed to play a forward ball on the right. not surprised he came off
He's usually a reliable player in terms of retaining the ball in our own half, but this season he's been very sloppy in that regard. In almost every game, he's lost the ball in dangerous positions. Which is mainly down to him playing really poor passes backwards. Really weird.
He looked quite pissed off at being subbed. I thought he was quite poor to be honest. But if playing poorly means getting subbed off, I know someone who would be subbed off every game.
No disrespect to Lingard but give Mata a full game.
Crystal Palace 0:0 Man Utd
The treatment of him is a joke, one of the best players in the league at unlocking a defence and there's not even an attempt to get him central, subbing him for youth players with little top flight experience outside the championship every single game. We basically just repeated the City match against a far inferior side.
He should be on the platform that Rooney is on in terms of being one of the last players pulled off when you're looking a goal, for some reason he's one of the first.
He should be on the platform that Rooney is on in terms of being one of the last players pulled off when you're looking a goal, for some reason he's one of the first.
Worst thing is, once we actually get some pacey players in good areas, Martial up top and Lingard out wide, we take off our best option to make the most of them. Looks like it's getting to him somewhat with that slow run or and against City he seemed surprised and you can understand too when he's consistently shown he's a goal threat and when Rooney is continually allowed to start and finish games regardless of how he players.
So annoying too when Rooney takes free kicks over him, surely Mata is more prolific?
His control is better than Rooney's but he didn't offer any more than him as far as creativity or penetration went, not keen on his slow sulk off either.
Only caught the first half hour but I thought Mata was superlative whenever he was on the ball
We bring on Lingaard and put Martial up top, but by that time, the one who can take advantage of that is off the pitch.
I don't get it.
I don't get it.
He was better than Herrera, not great, but I would've preferred to have him in the number 10 role and Herrera to be taken off.
Yes he did. Two through balls and opened up the play for Martial who crossed for Herrera (Mata was also open for that cross). Our best chance of the match. Mata and Martial are the only players that can get the ball in a tight situation and get out of it with a touch or two. Rooney takes a massive touch away from defenders, usually towards his own goal, every time he gets the ball.
I think it's a no brainer to put Mata as the #10 with two wingers on each side. He's better there than Herrera and doesn't have to waste his energy helping out Darmian. Put Lindgard or Young out wide instead. Currently the #10 role is being used to fill in the 11th player, be it Rooney, Herrera or Fellaini. No one that has played it this season is actually very good there.
Our best chance of the match was when Martial played Rooney in one on one with the keeper. He can take the ball in a tight space but rarely gets away with it as he's so slow and easily knocked over, it's why LvG has no intention of playing him centrally, he keeps him wide right with freedom to drift in the hope he'll find pockets to pick a pass. What were his 2 through balls? I recall one really over hit one for Martial.
Over hit? No, Kelly headed it for a corner. The other was towards Schweinsteiger who had made a run but it went like Rooney's through ball, through him and out of reach.
Is there a gif of the first one you are talking about? As I don't recall us getting any corner for the one he tried to put Martial in with.
Feel so sorry for him when the answer is so simple.
No idea but the text commentary said it happened at 42:25.
Think I'm watching a different game as Mata in that front 3 doesn't do it for me. I think he is a bit of a passenger. We need better!
Weird, I watched the game and I don't remember anything but an over hit attempt to play Martial in over the top.
Tbf, that was the theme of the game today. Through balls that were far from connecting. Think everyone in attack besides Schneiderlin managed one. Thought the passing was pretty poor overall.
True, we were awful on the ball today, not as brutally tedious as the first half against Boro but no change of gear and only 2 decent chances created in 90 minutes.
Agreed. He's not a front three player. He should be in the No.10 position or on the bench.
With 3 pacey players ahead of him stretching the game and making runs he would be magestic, but unfortunately we don't have that at present. I would like to see Young, Memphis and Martial as a 3 ahead of Mata, but it'll never happen.
Me too. I just hate when coaches in any discipline just take advantage of a player's good attitude to drop him in favor of someone who deserves far less playing time; that's just downright abuse in my eyes.
I'm off the same mind set
I get that plenty of people feel Mata's not being utilised to his full potential, and that's understandable, but I really don't see the argument for putting Memphis or Young in front of him. Mata's comfortably better than both.
I meant having Mata as the CAM, with the other 3 as the forwards. I just don't like Mata on the wing, he cant attack a defender out wide or run passed people so it completely limits our attack on 1 side. Darmian isn't overlapping like Rafael or Valencia does, so that again makes it even worse.
He's fine as a winger. Quiet sometimes, but he still grabs us goals and assists, and is capable of some exquisite passes. He's not a traditional, pacy winger, but that's fine; he offers a lot more than someone like Memphis, who might have a lot more pace but is lacking the end product right now. For all this talk of Mata limiting our attack, he's probably been our best attacking player this season so far alongside Martial.
He has picked up most of those with his great intelligence and movement, just think what he could have if played in the correct position?.
I don't think he is completely useless but if you compare him to a proper winger/wide playmaker IMO he could add a lot more. I would have Douglas Costa /Robben/Muller all day long over Mata on the wing for example. Anyway with our wide options right now we don't have much choice let's be honest.
Let him take a free-kick!
Mata's certainly no worse than anyone else, and better than most.
Exactly!
I sometimes think that LVG's greatest talent is to actually demoralise players - except Rooney of course.
Look how much of a spring in his step Chico has now - playing well and scoring goals. Five in three games.
Exactly!
I sometimes think that LVG's greatest talent is to actually demoralise players - except Rooney of course.
Look how much of a spring in his step Chico has now - playing well and scoring goals. Five in three games.
This unfortunately.
We don't have better, and as he's probably our most creative player, or at least one of them, I think you should pick on someone your own size. 
There was this moment when Mata lost McArthur with a body feint in the middle of the pitch and then ran with the ball and played a through ball to Schweinsteiger but he was too slow for it, sadly.
Mata's good but we need to press higher so he can find these pockets like he did against Liverpool.. When the build up is so slow it doesn't suit almost anyone in our team and never these little great poaching players like him and Herrera. I'd try Lingard for Juan as he needs a bit of breathing to come back stronger. We will need to rotate anyway..
he is our most creative player, he might drift in/out of games but he does productive stuff when he is involved. if he is a passenger then Rooney is the flat tyre
The games I'm watching he isn't he kills everything up the right hand side by slowing down coming backwards or sideways. He sure has quality in and around the box but out wide he's hopeless. He should be our 10 our nothing!!
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