Was good in the first half, even defended well but forgettable second half performance. Needs to step up his game but same could be said about most of our players.
Juan Mata | 2013/14 Performances
- Thread starter Varun
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He's a shadow of the player he was at Chelsea.
Mata is 25 ,the thought that he as suddenly forgotten to play football and waiting on Moyes to instruct him is laughable.
His touch and movement was really good in patches and seemed to deteriorate badly as the game wore on. Passing wasn't good enough, too many passes getting cut out.
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I feel sorry for Mata. Everyone passes to him and looks to him to create something. But how can he with so little movement ahead and a slow immobile midfield behind? He's always looking for the ball and trying to instigate play but the rest of our team is piss poor at the moment.
Everyone was just passing the ball to him and then getting into the box waiting for him to do something.
I think we should replace him with some proven quality. A world class player will fix our problems.
oh...
oh...
He plays like Kagawa. Decentish without any real decisive moments. A shame we don't seem to be able to fit those kind of players into our system...whatever that system may be.
Worst performance I've seen from him in a united shirt to date
Thought he was fine in the first half but faded in the second and got a bit more sloppy. In general though there was always gonna be a clash of styles. Mata/Kagawa need runners/close link up, you can argue that its a flaw in their game that they don't adapt well but they've specialized their roles. Its gonna take time for it to gel, but we'll only see his best by having the right players around him. I think you could stick any player of his type there but without players being able/willing to get beyond him, offer up options and overload areas are then they will struggle imo.
*Adopts David Attenborough voice*
'Here we can see the Moyesian deskilling phenomenon in full effect. Remarkable in its swiftness and totality, before long the Mata will blend completely into its surroundings making only rare noticeable appearances on the pitch'.
'Here we can see the Moyesian deskilling phenomenon in full effect. Remarkable in its swiftness and totality, before long the Mata will blend completely into its surroundings making only rare noticeable appearances on the pitch'.
After reading on Facebook that Mata has won more games at OT playing for Chelsea than us! 
You sure? Didnt we only win the one with him? 0-1 last season.After reading on Facebook that Mata has won more games at OT playing for Chelsea than us!
Takes a special kind of manager to turn someone like Mata into a no-confidence quivering wreck of a player.
Top player, but was never needed here. Lacks the physical attributes. He's more gifted than Barkley for example, but Barkley's combination of technique and strength/speed/build makes him less of passenger and perhaps more suited to us in the long run once he's developed.
Wasted here. Was as effective on Chelsea's bench. I fear we won't see the best of him under Moyes.
I saw somewhere recently - and I'm not necessarily saying I agree with it - that it was felt that he struggled at OT because it's a bigger pitch than at Stamford Bridge and he doesn't have the legs to get around consistently. But I remember him doing very well against us at OT, so that might be a red herring.
please see how shitty play david silva. moyes should do the same. is it so difficult? and with the absence of rvp, why not play roon as the striker and mata in the hole. unbelievable
That's what I was expecting today to be; the lineup pretty much looked like it would do.
It infuriates me to see such a brilliant player be left so isolated to try and "make some magic" out there. Neville put it perfectly that Mata should be fixed in between the space between midfield and Defense, where he can turn quickly, face some options moving ahead and make the killer ball. Instead, he is left to come back and retrieve the ball when our players can't be arsed to make the quick passes forward, forcing him to be facing back to the oppo's goal and eventually surrounded by 2 or 3 players. It's a completely ineffectual tactic to have him facing backwards, and it goes down to our philosophy of slow and patient buildup from the back as well as players' expectations of Mata to create something out of nothing.
Silva thrived today off the constant movement and quick passing of City up front. These two are similar in build, in style and in skill yet one is being used rightly, and one is wasted: go figure out which is which in this case.
If Kroos is looking at Mata to see his future with us, then I don't think he'll like what he's seeing.
I think the most frustrating thing is that he's clearly a much, much better player than this - we've all seen it.
How long till there's an 'Evil Mata' twitter account? 
I think he is settling in nicely. Given the circumstances, I think he has shown the quality that if the right players are signed and if he is used the right way, he will turn into the top player we need and want.
We've somehow managed to break Mata it seems.
can we use any of our talented players correctly? poor mata
Hes brilliant thats clear, but second half last night he was woeful.
I can't wait to see the Moyesification happen to Kroos, Gundogan or/and Carvalho.
Get them away from that ball and onto those running drills. Tell them they've got all the chance in the world of becoming a Premiership standard footballer as long as they keep trying.
Get them away from that ball and onto those running drills. Tell them they've got all the chance in the world of becoming a Premiership standard footballer as long as they keep trying.
Can you guys relax. It was just one bad game.
He was shit last night. I applaud his effort, he was trying to get things going and dictate the play for us but he was extremely wasteful and at times negative with the ball.
It's not all on him, the movement infront of him really wasn't great a lot of the time. That doesn't fully excuse him though.
It's not all on him, the movement infront of him really wasn't great a lot of the time. That doesn't fully excuse him though.
It doesn't help Mata's cause Rooney having to be a striker, midfielder, and a defender.
Yeah, I was livid about that. We're a couple of goals down and what does Moyes do? Takes the best and most prolific striker in our team and asks him to play deeper. WTF?!
Mata and Rooney are playing desperate, trying to do too much, dropping far too deep due to the massive great hole we have in the centre of the pitch.
Buy a couple of decent midfielders who have legs and can pass the ball forward and he can concentrate on his own game and get at the opposition where it hurts.
I think he will be great next year as there is no chance him going to the World Cup on this form so will intergrate with the team better in pre season.
Buy a couple of decent midfielders who have legs and can pass the ball forward and he can concentrate on his own game and get at the opposition where it hurts.
I think he will be great next year as there is no chance him going to the World Cup on this form so will intergrate with the team better in pre season.
Can't underestimate the difference that a Kroos type player and a proper holding midfielder would make. Would free up Rooney and Mata much more
He will definitely go to the World Cup, just probably won't start. He's been one of our best players since he signed, was poor last night but will only get better.
Why "definitely" ? Spain are overloaded with similar players and who have been performing much better than him.
They've got loads of very good players but he's world class, been part of successful squads before and it would be mental to leave him out.
Only just realised he wasn't in the most recent squad though. You might well have a point.
Their midfield talent is mental.
Midfielders: Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas (all Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Jesus Navas (Manchester City)
I was gonna bring that point up but you did, I think honestly Mata had more chances of playing for Spain by staying for Chelsea. He didn't have the same playing time but looked a lot better in the first few months of the season despite not being at his best.
Astonishingly we haven't won at Old Trafford since he came apart from the first game against Cardiff.
Going like kagawa exactly how many suspected. He will have criticism deflected off him until next season where he will continue to look like a nothing player.
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