[the chameleon]

Such a shame. He’s been wasted here under 3 failed regimes. He was my favourite non-United player when at Chelsea. Hearing that he signed for us was the most exciting news.

Such a likeable chap! But the reality is that he’s a spent force.

It’s not that he loses the ball or doesn’t contribute to the odd assist or goal. It’s just that he’s not contributing to the build up of play, not pressing enough. He makes us vulnerable as this helps make it easier for the opposition to build shit up against us.

We should have played him centrally from the day we signed him. But we used him all wrong.

Such a shame!

 

[mewnew11]

For all the Einstiens who keep mentioning , Right wing is not his best position and he should play centre ...read ..........

MATA STARTS ON THE RIGHT WING BUT DOESN'T STAY THERE, HE COMES IN MIDFIELD AND ALSO ROAMS ALL ACROSS THE PITCH ( LEFT TO RIGHT ). HE IS SIMPLY AWFUL EVERYWHERE. SO, THE HE IS A NUMBER TEN AND NOT A RIGHT WING IS LIKE SAYING A FISH THAT CAN SWIM IN AN OCEAN CANNOT SWIM IN A POOL FFS!!!!!

 

[Foxbatt]

he has played as a number 10 and he has been awful there too by trying to dribble too much, getting caught in possession and every time he has been tackled he loses it. So it was too risky to play him there. Jose plays him on the wing I guess because it is the best option but it would be much better if he does not play him anywhere.

 

[rooneyberbatov]

For all the Einstiens who keep mentioning , Right wing is not his best position and he should play centre ...read ..........

MATA STARTS ON THE RIGHT WING BUT DOESN'T STAY THERE, HE COMES IN MIDFIELD AND ALSO ROAMS ALL ACROSS THE PITCH ( LEFT TO RIGHT ). HE IS SIMPLY AWFUL EVERYWHERE. SO, THE HE IS A NUMBER TEN AND NOT A RIGHT WING IS LIKE SAYING A FISH THAT CAN SWIM IN AN OCEAN CANNOT SWIM IN A POOL FFS!!!!!

Any idea why does he do it?

Firstly, he's the best with the ball and he always looks for a pass, one touch football. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much support from players (especially our full backs) that can contribute to this sort of play. Secondly, he roams because our midfielders can't break the line to save their lifes. Partly because Rom's positioning is usually just awful. Take a look at Mata during some games last season. He always looks for a pass, makes a lot of decent runs but our defenders and midfielders don't see him, or I think it's just too risky to pass because we can be easily hit on the counter, so Mata bites the dust.
During pre-season matches he looked really well alongside Sanchez up front. It's not a coincidence, because both of them are very skilful players. I'm not saying playing them up front is a solution, because these two together are way too slow for the league, but we should play them together more often. And not on the opposite wings. Instead of Mata being a liability, we should work something out in order to have a useful sub at least.

 

[Backrow Singer]

For me, he looks poor because a. he's slow and b. Lakaku isn't quick either so inevitably, you have no-one running in behind. When he comes inside on his left foot, he's looking to drag the centre half and full back out and slip someone in but no-one has the speed to make those runs. Martial was on the other side of the field and Young can't cross so he just ends up passing the ball on and doing nothing with it.

 

[Foxbatt]

Rooneyberbatov, I get what you mean. He does have the vision to make that one touch pass and get the return but you forget the most important bit. The opposing players can see that too and because Mata is so slow they can wait to see his movements and then recover and cover that space. Many a times I have seen that happen. Also with Mata he will lose not only a 50/50 but also 70/30 balls. He has no chance at all with the 50/50s 9 times out of 10. Mata should never start a game.

 

[Red_Ramirez]

Smalling had a good season last season yet he still gets a bashing from ‘fans’. Mata has a shit season just like last season and it’s all swept under the carpet….

Criticising Mata after countless ineffectual poor displays still seems taboo because he’s a nice guy off the pitch. Crazy

 

[Ekeke]

Smalling had a good season last season yet he still gets a bashing from ‘fans’. Mata has a shit season just like last season and it’s all swept under the carpet….

Criticising Mata after countless ineffectual poor displays still seems taboo because he’s a nice guy off the pitch. Crazy

It does seem that way. Anyone with a pretty good touch and technique must be playing quite well every match, anyone who doesnt look very graceful but is working his socks off and doing a lot of work must be playing poorly.

 

[Lawman]

Yes, he was. Scored goals and had assists from great passes. Inspired the Special Juan banner. Short memory?

And he shouldn't be on the right side ffs. He is a left sided player. Does he ever complain? Some in the current squad could do with his attitude.

Livvie to be fair most players play on opposite side so they can cut in nowadays so that’s not an excuse. If you had said he’s too slow to play wide I’d agree with you but then he’s not good enough to build a team around as a ten. He’s a total luxury of a player, very likeable but who really cares about that I’d rather have an ass hole who played better.

 

[Foxbatt]

It does not matter if he plays left, right or centre. It is still the same. His problem is not that he cannot cross but he is so slow that he is a liability and a luxury player. When we have our rest of the 10 players at their best we may be able to put him in the side but when more than half a side is so poor he is a huge liability. When we had Zlatan who has very good ball control and control things around him, Mata may have played a lot better but not when we have someone like Lukaku who is so poor in his first touch Mata should never start.

 

[Bearded One]

I am honestly tired of seeing him play on the right hand side of our attack

 

[Ekeke]

Yes, he was. Scored goals and had assists from great passes. Inspired the Special Juan banner. Short memory?

And he shouldn't be on the right side ffs. He is a left sided player. Does he ever complain? Some in the current squad could do with his attitude.

Not many compared to the players starting for the other top teams in the league

Considering that his success at Chelsea and Valencia was due to his productivity in the final third and in his first half season at United, while not being at his best, he was our most creative player.

And no he wasnt that good the season before last either.

In his time at United he's almost always created less season after season. And we've been a team that have been crying out for someone to create things, so its even more frustrating that he isnt doing what he used to.

Thats not to say he hasnt had one off games, or a string of 2 or 3 games where he has a good run and creates or scores important goals. But overall when you compare him to the other top teams he doesn't produce in the final third like their players.

Martial and Sanchez on the other hand while not perfect either come much closer to being as dangerous as the teams we're competing with.

The opening game of this season Mata set up Shaw who was able to score. So thats good. But by now I think its pretty clear what we're going to get with Mata. Occasional good matches and short spells, but not enough over the entire season like normal. At the very least he should have a great right winger competing with him making sure hes at his best if he wants to play. Thats not the case. He can be average and keep his place.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

In a 4231, where we only have two in the middle, then Mata can drift in and control the game, whilst the left winger and attacking midfielder can focus on the ball.

In a 433, however, where you expect us to have control in midfield, then we don't really need someone to drop short and help the midfield. What we do need is someone who can be a counter threat when we win it, and Mata isn't the player.

Having said that, having a three man midfield of Pogba, Fred and Pereira with Mata dropping off, you would expect us to control the game and create plenty of chances, but we didn't.

Mata could be really useful in the right system and style of football, but that isn't Jose's style, unfortunately.

 

[Red_toad]

For me, he looks poor because a. he's slow and b. Lakaku isn't quick either so inevitably, you have no-one running in behind. When he comes inside on his left foot, he's looking to drag the centre half and full back out and slip someone in but no-one has the speed to make those runs. Martial was on the other side of the field and Young can't cross so he just ends up passing the ball on and doing nothing with it.

Lukaku isn't quick? What the hell you smoking dude?

Obviously he's quick as you couldn't see how to spell his name off the back of his shirt when you last saw him...

 

[Foxbatt]

When Mata has the ball the opposition just walk or jog as they know he is so slow that they can catch up with him no matter what. I do not understand why he does not accept the fact he is slow and that he cannot dribble or get away from the defenders? All he need is to try and make a good pass instead of trying to carry the ball.

 

[Bola]

I don't see any future for him in the team. Ineffectual in the Right Wing role and it's unlikely we are going to play a system that would support his best position as a central attacking playmaker.

I see his only role as an 'impact specialist' for scenarios where we need to break down teams that park the bus, as he does have a great range of passing when he is not pressured. However, I see the opposition doing this less and less, while Mata's impact is far less than when we use Fellani as an impact sub (but in a 'hoofball scenario).

I'd sell Mata this window if possible. He must be worth between 10 - 17M in transfers, while he is one of the higher earners at the club probably costing United 200k per week (when you factor in National Insurance contributions and the occasional performance fee).

We could add 18-25M to the club's finances if we were able to sell him now (transfer fee and saved wage payments). I love the guy but it's time to go.

 

[mewnew11]

Any idea why does he do it?

Firstly, he's the best with the ball and he always looks for a pass, one touch football. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much support from players (especially our full backs) that can contribute to this sort of play. Secondly, he roams because our midfielders can't break the line to save their lifes. Partly because Rom's positioning is usually just awful. Take a look at Mata during some games last season. He always looks for a pass, makes a lot of decent runs but our defenders and midfielders don't see him, or I think it's just too risky to pass because we can be easily hit on the counter, so Mata bites the dust.
During pre-season matches he looked really well alongside Sanchez up front. It's not a coincidence, because both of them are very skilful players. I'm not saying playing them up front is a solution, because these two together are way too slow for the league, but we should play them together more often. And not on the opposite wings. Instead of Mata being a liability, we should work something out in order to have a useful sub at least.


What a load of crap. Sometimes i give up explaining people. Lukaku positioning is awful ???? The same Lukaku kills it game in and game our for belgium and no one complains about his positioning . The fact that Mata is such a coward with the ball is the issue. Doesnt dribble , doesnt attempt the through ball , he just wants to pass the ball sidewards .

Infact its our full backs who dont get support from mata and not the other way around. he is a liability and needs to go.

 

[mewnew11]

Any idea why does he do it?

Firstly, he's the best with the ball and he always looks for a pass, one touch football. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much support from players (especially our full backs) that can contribute to this sort of play. Secondly, he roams because our midfielders can't break the line to save their lifes. Partly because Rom's positioning is usually just awful. Take a look at Mata during some games last season. He always looks for a pass, makes a lot of decent runs but our defenders and midfielders don't see him, or I think it's just too risky to pass because we can be easily hit on the counter, so Mata bites the dust.
During pre-season matches he looked really well alongside Sanchez up front. It's not a coincidence, because both of them are very skilful players. I'm not saying playing them up front is a solution, because these two together are way too slow for the league, but we should play them together more often. And not on the opposite wings. Instead of Mata being a liability, we should work something out in order to have a useful sub at least.

i also suggest you go watch how David silva plays and then lets have this discussion.

 

[Foxbatt]

he has good ball control but in the PL now he is a liability. What is the point in him playing because if you watch him you will see that he tries to carry the ball but he is way too slow and even if he beats one player the same player is able to tackle him in the next few seconds because he is so slow. He cannot keep possession because when he gets tackled, he is so weak the opposing team gains possession. He may have good movements but again he is so slow the opposing teams wait for him to make his move then cover him easily again because he is so slow.
His negatives far outweigh his positives.

 

[jem]

i also suggest you go watch how David silva plays and then lets have this discussion.

My god your style of discussion is grating.

 

[ZenMaster Coltrane]

You can't play him in a counter-attack setup. It's utterly debilitating. You don't have to be tall but you cannot be small, weak on the ball and slow. His shot/cross power is also abysmal. His crosses are even finessed. Whatever technical contribution he could make it's not as a starter and it's probably only in a heavy possession based team.

When this whole escapade is over, I'd like to know why it's been so hard to clear out players left over from SAF, DM, LVG. While Mata shouldn't be first on the list of clear-outs, his spot needs a serious upgrade just like almost all the other positions.

 

[tjb]

Mata is and has been overrated since he came here. Absolutely no value, and those whoscore stats above prove that point. Whoscored can be off a bit when judging defensive midfielders and centre backs, as it focuses on more impact driven stats that are not always relevant for certain players to always partake in. But as far as attack goes, it is. And what it says is that Mata has been really poor and ineffective for manchester united. No dribbling ability, no real creativity, no press resistance....all he has done is roam and play simple passes. Bad signing

 

[Escobar]

Mata is and has been overrated since he came here. Absolutely no value, and those whoscore stats above prove that point. Whoscored can be off a bit when judging defensive midfielders and centre backs, as it focuses on more impact driven stats that are not always relevant for certain players to always partake in. But as far as attack goes, it is. And what it says is that Mata has been really poor and ineffective for manchester united. No dribbling ability, no real creativity, no press resistance....all he has done is roam and play simple passes. Bad signing

He was way past it when we bought it and it is astonishing that we never upgraded the RW position

 

[Di Maria's angel]

Does he go down as (one of) our most underwhelming signing? Was so excited when we purchased him back in 2013 but he's not even been close to living up to the expectations. A real shame that it hasn't worked out for him.

 

[Jeffthered]

We have to move this guy on. Simple.

Nice guy, but joined a huge club, and has never, ever stamped his authority on the team, or the club. His national team have recognised this.

Thanks for the memories, Liverpool away was the stuff of legends. But couldn't really deliver at the level required. How we kept him when Mahrez was available, i will never, ever know.

 

[stevoc]

Does he go down as (one of) our most underwhelming signing? Was so excited when we purchased him back in 2013 but he's not even been close to living up to the expectations. A real shame that it hasn't worked out for him.

Possibly considering the fee but to be fair to him he was bought by a manager who had no plan or clue what to do with him and then the next two managers haven't done much better. He's spent 70-80% of his United career shunted out to the right wing, so it's not surprising that he's generally underwhelmed and never managed to recapture his Chelsea form.

 

[MUFC OK]

Same as it has been since the day he arrived. It's Number 10 or bust for Juan. As his blog posts evidence time and again he doesn't have the ability to affect things for us anymore, must be an opposition fullbacks dream to play against.

 

[MUFC OK]

he has good ball control but in the PL now he is a liability. What is the point in him playing because if you watch him you will see that he tries to carry the ball but he is way too slow and even if he beats one player the same player is able to tackle him in the next few seconds because he is so slow. He cannot keep possession because when he gets tackled, he is so weak the opposing team gains possession. He may have good movements but again he is so slow the opposing teams wait for him to make his move then cover him easily again because he is so slow.
His negatives far outweigh his positives.

Good analysis but I'd like to add that he's quite slow as well, thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[norm87cro]

Should be centre. His first touch is great and he is a very intelligent player. But his frame was never built for the Premiership and his time with us is coming to a conclusion. He should do a Iniesta and go somewhere where his technical abilities will shine

 

[Jeffthered]

Should be centre. His first touch is great and he is a very intelligent player. But his frame was never built for the Premiership and his time with us is coming to a conclusion. He should do a Iniesta and go somewhere where his technical abilities will shine

China, or the MLS beckons. Huge cash. Lot's of TV interviews about how the world needs to change. Then he joins UEFA , FIFA etc. Probably battle it out with Henry or Neville for the top job there one day

 

[ErranMorad]

Should be centre. His first touch is great and he is a very intelligent player. But his frame was never built for the Premiership and his time with us is coming to a conclusion. He should do a Iniesta and go somewhere where his technical abilities will shine

Yeah, he'll be great for some club in Qatar or the UAE where he can entertain them with his football and then his post-match write-ups can push them to improve their human rights record.

 

[Bola]

China, or the MLS beckons. Huge cash. Lot's of TV interviews about how the world needs to change. Then he joins UEFA , FIFA etc. Probably battle it out with Henry or Neville for the top job there one day

I think he could still do a job in Spain or Italy, where the pace is generally slower and the game less physical. In that environment, I'd think he'd thrive in an attacking mid role, for an LVG style team that has slower, possession based build up.

He's finished at United, probably even as an attacking mid. Shame Jose does not see that and I would not be at all surprised to see him starting on the right against Spurs on Monday

 

[simplyared]

He's been a good servant to utd and I'm sure he's a nice guy. However if the team is to move forward and we're to be upp there with the best he shouldn't be starting games for us. Could anyone honestly see him starting for any of the other top 6?

 

[Lawman]

He's been a good servant to utd and I'm sure he's a nice guy. However if the team is to move forward and we're to be upp there with the best he shouldn't be starting games for us. Could anyone honestly see him starting for any of the other top 6?

A good servant really? He was a record signing and only thing he’s been is average to poor with the very odd glimpse off quality.

 

[simplyared]

A good servant really? He was a record signing and only thing he’s been is average to poor with the very odd glimpse off quality.

Couldn't agree with you more on that. Tbh can't understand the logic in Mourinho picking him when he wasn't considered good enough for him at Chelsea. I mean he's not exactly improved his game x amount of years later.

 

[Stadjer]

Couldn't agree with you more on that. Tbh can't understand the logic in Mourinho picking him when he wasn't considered good enough for him at Chelsea. I mean he's not exactly improved his game x amount of years later.

At Chelsea he had Hazard, Oscar and Mata at that time... now he has Rashford/Martial/Sanchez who could play at Mata his RW spot. None of those three players are very good as a RW either.. or they dont want to play there.

We really should have signed a whole new right side... Young + Mata, Darmian + Mata or Valencia + Mata as your right side is never going to win the league.

 

[Leftback99]

Looking back, I first commented on here 3 years ago that Mata was useless on our right wing but here we are with him still starting games there. 5 years since he could barely get a game for Chelsea under Mourinho. It's ridiculous really.

Also suggested Mahrez would be a good signing around the same time.

 

[Foxbatt]

Of course Mahrez would have been a much better signing and we should have sold of Mata and a couple of others too.

 

[Ekeke]

Does he go down as (one of) our most underwhelming signing? Was so excited when we purchased him back in 2013 but he's not even been close to living up to the expectations. A real shame that it hasn't worked out for him.

One of them sure.

He's a lot less dangerous going forwards now than he was at 19-20 at Valencia when he was playing as a left wing/attacker.

Why?

In my opinion because :

A) In his final season at Valencia he was used as a number 10 for the first season. Then he went to Chelsea and played the same position. In that time he greatly improved as a 10 from his first half a season there at Valencia. But anytime he's been used wide since then he hasn't looked as dangerous from the wing at Valencia. Seems less mobile.

B) When he first came to United he provided some much needed creativity. He had our most key passes in his first half a season at the club. He wasnt putting it all together as a £40 million player but he had some end product that made a difference. A while later he started to be used as a CM by Van Gaal I believe it was. Around the same time Rooney was being used as a CM too.

In those games Mata seemed far more conservative and not taking the risks he used to. It was very much the same as out other players. LVG just wanted us to keep the ball and Mata did that.

To me he's never shaken off that mentality despite the fact hes no longer playing as a CM. He doesn't take as many risks as he used to, so he doesn't create what he used to. He can help us keep the ball at times but usually no more than that

 

[Aloysius's Back 3]

Of course Mahrez would have been a much better signing and we should have sold of Mata and a couple of others too.

Mahrez & Malcom were both available - but due to the way they play football & their priorities in which they approach both attacking & defensive work; I'm sure Jose only wanted willian & no one else.

He wanted perisic for the left wing as the direct winger in his 2nd season with bale as the inverted winger on the right. He ended up getting Sanchez so needed a direct winger on the right = Willian.


The players that were available for the RW & how we didn't get any doesn't say anything on Ed Woodward - it says mostly about how unopen to flexibility that Jose is from tactics to the players he says he requires.

With regards to Mata - I think he has done fine; don't think anyone expected too much from him considering when he actually arrived here.