Mata is an easy target and he clearly has some limitations but he always shows for the ball and tries to use it effectively even if it's just to keep the flow. I personally still think we struggle to use him properly, too often he's on the pitch when most the attack is also coming short, we need to play him when others are running in behind to get the most out of him.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 32
- Goals
- 6
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Status
Mata is an easy target and he clearly has some limitations but he always shows for the ball and tries to use it effectively even if it's just to keep the flow. I personally still think we struggle to use him properly, too often he's on the pitch when most the attack is also coming short, we need to play him when others are running in behind to get the most out of him.
His impact going forward was nothing compared to what happened going the other way. Martial might get called lazy, but Mata leaves a free run on Young. Young can not defend in the first place so it absolutely fecked the right hand side.
Dreadful, pointless player. When we signed him in January 2014, £37m must have put him in the top 30 transfers of all time. He did though score twice against Brendan’s Liverpool, a few weeks before Stoke put six past them.
Honestly Lukaku on the right would have been a better option. This game was never right for Mata.
Needs to go, time is up
The only time they got in down the right was due to being caught up the field thanks to Pogba(?) Losing the ball
Mata did't run after the defenders as always, Young need to go more front to help him, that's why bernat allowed to get forward, and Mata did't have the physical ability to help Young to track back the fullback, that's why our right hand side was explosed at second half.
Just make one or two decent passes, does't cover his problem affect the whole team. I don't know why some of the fans' standard towards Mata is such low.
Just make one or two decent passes, does't cover his problem affect the whole team. I don't know why some of the fans' standard towards Mata is such low.
How many more times do we have to see him stinking up the wide right position? He seems like a really nice guy, but I hope to feck that he leaves this summer.
Was so far away from being what we needed tonight.
I think Mata should look to pastures new come June. Nice guy but he we don't play with a #10 and he's too slow to operate out wide in our system.
I don't see why people are squabbling over his performance, he made some decent, easy passes but the creativity he used to have isn't there these days and the fact he's ultra slow and can't run with the ball was like blood in the water for PSG, it was noticeable how their approach changed as soon as Mata and Sanchez came on, their confidence and attacking intent skyrocketed.
I'm sure he'll make a lovely blog post.
Hate to say it, but i'd have preferred to see Lukaku at RW again. At least he'd have run at them.
Hate to say it, but i'd have preferred to see Lukaku at RW again. At least he'd have run at them.
I've never seen a more pointless player.
Can't beat a man, can't cross, can't play winger, can't shoot unless he's directly in front of the keeper.
Yet he plays at winger for every manager because we have no space for a number 10.
Can't beat a man, can't cross, can't play winger, can't shoot unless he's directly in front of the keeper.
Yet he plays at winger for every manager because we have no space for a number 10.
I sometimes wonder if managers coming into a club just say something like, 'previous manager played you RW, so i too will play you RW' without trying to be innovative like trying him in the middle or something. Mata is so useless down the flank.
I can't fully criticise him
I reckon it we stuck Herrera there or some other random player they wouldn't do well either
He's not a rw yet keeps being pushed there esp as he ages. He needs to be part of the top of a 3 man midfield or as the middle man in the 3 of a 4231
I reckon it we stuck Herrera there or some other random player they wouldn't do well either
He's not a rw yet keeps being pushed there esp as he ages. He needs to be part of the top of a 3 man midfield or as the middle man in the 3 of a 4231
He’s completely and utterly pointless. I knew the game was finished the second I seen him coming on.
Think it was a mistake to bring him on. Would rather have stuck Rashford out there and put Lukaku up front. He just doesn’t work for us in any system. There were one or two good passes in but that was it, the rest of his game really let us down especially when my guess is Ole brought them on to try and get some quality when we had the ball but the problem was we couldn’t get the ball.
He doesn't fit at United in terms of position.
Was a poor sub in a game like this.
Was a poor sub in a game like this.
I love Mata but tonight was brutal. There was one passage of play where Rashford had the ball on the wing and was looking for someone to lay it off too to take it in to the box and Mata was about 40 yards behind him.
Wrong sub tonight.
The issue with him and Sanchez coming on is PSG no longer need to worry about a run in behind from them and can play higher and more confidently.
Mata is too slow to play out wide in these sort of games.
Mata is too slow to play out wide in these sort of games.
Send him to China.
This guy has been a dead player for 2 seasons at least. He's a player that only suits a very specific game state (team are on the front foot and he is not put under pressure). Sure he's a decent squad option, but it gets to a point where all you have are squad options and not a top quality player. Lingard can play the Mata role and we get a top quality right sided attacker in.
Also one of the weakest player I've seen, lost the ball almost every time there's a contact from the opponent, don't think it would've made any difference if he played in midfield or no.10, that's the most congested area on the pitch, he'll have less space and lose the ball more. I'd rather sell him than Fellaini
Good story, but too sci-fi fkr me as OGS keeps playing him on the right no mata what
He's just so slow and passive, it was laughable. PSG did not fear him in the slightest.
And in the last 1000+ minutes in the attacking right position v Martial on the left?
Lukaku, pretty much any combination of Sanchez, Rashford and Lukaku would have been better than what we actually went with in the 2nd half.
Rashford-Sanchez-Lukaku
Sanchez-Lukaku-Rashford
Sanchez-Rashford-Lukaku
This is in response to people saying he was terrible/the worst thing ever in this game
There are matches in which Mata is able to make a contribution. His quality on the ball didn't seem apparent during those 45 mins and his lack of mobility was clearly an issue.
At this stage I'm really not bothered if he stays or leaves in the summer.
At this stage I'm really not bothered if he stays or leaves in the summer.
Ok, he was much better at passing sideways and backwards than Martial tonight and controlled it better. Shame he did nothing effectively defensively, took on a man, burst into space or anything else an attacking right player should do
Waste of a sub
Same
. Should have brought Fred or Dalot on instead.That was mostly because PSG were 2-0 ahead and wasn't that bothered about pressing us high or trying to go toe to toe. They let us attack them in their half because they were very very comfortable.
It's harsh to pinpoint the lack of impetus on Mata in the 2nd half because it was very evident in the 1st half also. However, with him coming on, it defintely didn't help matters and in effect was a net negative as we were always behind in terms of control/threat etc.
He always seems to be involved in our worst displays. It's not a coincidence.
But Woodward will renew and then struggle to sell him as he letting him go for free will cause him some finances.
Has to go, surely. Adds nothing for crying out loud.
This ^
Thanks Mata for all the great goals and assists but we need something that moves on the wings. Like you a lot but this is supposed to be the biggest football club in the world not a likeable retirement home.
He's only ever good now for short distance freekicks. That's it.
I think he's a passenger but he wasn't as bad as people are making out. In fact him and Matic were the only positives in the second half. Positive might be a stretch, they were the best of a bad bunch.
I really like Mata but he really should not be here next year, if we want to win a league he can maybe be Pogba back up as a 10 but he just can't play RW for a title winning team.
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