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2014-15 Performances


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united_99

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Thought he was linked with them and almost got a heart attack!!

His quotes on DDG don't sound promising though ...
 

Ringo 07

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He's a Moyes/Nani level player who can produce moments of magic every 20 games. I'd be very happy if someone bid 20 Million for him. I think he is an incredibly gifted footbaler but unfortunately he is not Man Utd level and I fully expect him to be sold this summer
 

Morpheus 7

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He's a Moyes/Nani level player who can produce moments of magic every 20 games. I'd be very happy if someone bid 20 Million for him. I think he is an incredibly gifted footbaler but unfortunately he is not Man Utd level and I fully expect him to be sold this summer
:lol:...are you joking?
 

NL Max

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He's a Moyes/Nani level player who can produce moments of magic every 20 games. I'd be very happy if someone bid 20 Million for him. I think he is an incredibly gifted footbaler but unfortunately he is not Man Utd level and I fully expect him to be sold this summer
I disagree, I think van Gaal is planning to use Mata next season. LvG came to an English club who played totally different football to what he wants and Mata, Carrick and Blind were the only players who really suited his style of football from the start. He's said Mata was his best performer but that he had to leave him out for the balance of the team, Mata isn't very physical and we don't have alot of defensive options in the squad. We're buying a defensive CM, why not buy one so he could play Mata in midfield again? That would kill 2 birds with one stone and Mata is also a good option out wide.

Mata is a perfect van Gaal player in possesion, he also does defensive work but he isn't tall, strong or quick. If he can compensate for that in the team he's got a player who can perform his instructions perfectly, therefore I can't see Mata leaving.
 

Kag

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He's a Moyes/Nani level player who can produce moments of magic every 20 games. I'd be very happy if someone bid 20 Million for him. I think he is an incredibly gifted footbaler but unfortunately he is not Man Utd level and I fully expect him to be sold this summer
What on earth is a Moyes/Nani level player?

Mata is one of the most effective footballers to ever play in the Premier League. That's a fact. It refutes the idea that he produces in one in every twenty games. It's more like one every two, or at most three.

Why you would be happy to sell him for the same price at which Liverpool splurged on Lazar Markovic is beyond me. He won't be sold this summer either.
 

sullydnl

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He's a Moyes/Nani level player who can produce moments of magic every 20 games. I'd be very happy if someone bid 20 Million for him. I think he is an incredibly gifted footbaler but unfortunately he is not Man Utd level and I fully expect him to be sold this summer
That is a very strange opinion/post.
 

Ringo 07

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What on earth is a Moyes/Nani level player?

Mata is one of the most effective footballers to ever play in the Premier League. That's a fact. It refutes the idea that he produces in one in every twenty games. It's more like one every two, or at most three.

Why you would be happy to sell him for the same price at which Liverpool splurged on Lazar Markovic is beyond me. He won't be sold this summer either.
A cleverley/Anderson/Osman level player...I love Mata but he is not Utd quality
 

Ringo 07

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I disagree, I think van Gaal is planning to use Mata next season. LvG came to an English club who played totally different football to what he wants and Mata, Carrick and Blind were the only players who really suited his style of football from the start. He's said Mata was his best performer but that he had to leave him out for the balance of the team, Mata isn't very physical and we don't have alot of defensive options in the squad. We're buying a defensive CM, why not buy one so he could play Mata in midfield again? That would kill 2 birds with one stone and Mata is also a good option out wide.

Mata is a perfect van Gaal player in possesion, he also does defensive work but he isn't tall, strong or quick. If he can compensate for that in the team he's got a player who can perform his instructions perfectly, therefore I can't see Mata leaving.
I respect your opinion but there was a time when Cleverley was considered world class on here. It was the red tinted glasses on...Mata is great but he is not a Utd level player..end of story..I reckon he will be sold this summer to Valencia
 

Orc

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A cleverley/Anderson/Osman level player...I love Mata but he is not Utd quality
:lol: What!?

Those players aren't fit to lace Mata's boots. He's more than good enough to play for you. If LvG actually plays him in his natural position he'd perform better.
 

sullydnl

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So strange that Mourinho was over the moon to get rid of him
So if Mourinho doesn't rate him he must be crap? What happened to the idea that no one manager has perfect judgement?

Given that a lot of the AMs he kept over Mata are pretty ordinary in an attacking sense (the most important part of an AMs game) then maybe we shouldn't take his opinion as fact?

Also pretty amazing that Mata managed to better than so many of our players before he ever came to United, given that he isn't United quality. Hell, even here he has still be one of our best attacking players. What an overachiever.
 

Ringo 07

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So if Mourinho doesn't rate him he must be crap? What happened to the idea that no one manager has perfect judgement?

Given that a lot of the AMs he kept over Mata are pretty ordinary in an attacking sense (the most important part of an AMs game) then maybe we shouldn't take his opinion as fact?

Also pretty amazing that Mata managed to better than so many of our players before he ever came to United, given that he isn't United quality. Hell, even here he has still be one of our best attacking players. What an overachiever.
He reminds me of Wes Hoolahan.....brilliant ball skill but shite player
 

Devil may care

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His lack of pace out wide and strength to play centrally makes him a difficult one to fit in, unless LvG decides to beast up the midfield base and play more of a 4-2-3-1, but I quite liked the 4-3-3 and Rooney and Mata as our two main attackers doesn't fill me with confidence.
 

Ringo 07

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His lack of pace out wide and strength to play centrally makes him a difficult one to fit in, unless LvG decides to beast up the midfield base and play more of a 4-2-3-1, but I quite liked the 4-3-3 and Rooney and Mata as our two main attackers doesn't fill me with confidence.
I agree...he is a wonderful Spurs level player..no more than that
 

Damien

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I respect your opinion but there was a time when Cleverley was considered world class on here. It was the red tinted glasses on...Mata is great but he is not a Utd level player..end of story..I reckon he will be sold this summer to Valencia
Tom Cleverley at United:
79 appearances
5 goals
8 assists
8 yellows

Goals against: Aston Villa, Newcastle United (2), Sunderland, West Ham United

Juan Mata at United:
50 appearances
16 goals
9 assists
2 yellows

Goals against: Aston Villa, Cambridge United, Crystal Palace (2), Liverpool (3), Manchester City, Newcastle United (2), Norwich City (2), QPR, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland
 

Orc

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His lack of pace out wide and strength to play centrally makes him a difficult one to fit in, unless LvG decides to beast up the midfield base and play more of a 4-2-3-1, but I quite liked the 4-3-3 and Rooney and Mata as our two main attackers doesn't fill me with confidence.
This is precisely why we sold him. No pace to be super effective on the wing, won't track back and help the fullback, and is too lightweight in José's eyes to sit in front of a midfield two.

If he played as the #10 with a fully fit Carrick and a new, beast of a DM behind him to shield the back four I think he'd be one of your best players.
 

Devil may care

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This is precisely why we sold him. No pace to be super effective on the wing, won't track back and help the fullback, and is too lightweight in José's eyes to sit in front of a midfield two.

If he played as the #10 with a fully fit Carrick and a new, beast of a DM behind him to shield the back four I think he'd be one of your best players.
The problem then becomes that we'd have him and Di Maria in the team not contributing much when we don't have the ball, I think it's tricky to carry two players like that, especially with an aging CM like Carrick in the mix.
 

caid

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This is precisely why we sold him. No pace to be super effective on the wing, won't track back and help the fullback, and is too lightweight in José's eyes to sit in front of a midfield two.

If he played as the #10 with a fully fit Carrick and a new, beast of a DM behind him to shield the back four I think he'd be one of your best players.
Part of the problem is that you have to play 2 very defensive players behind him for him to be that.
We could play one of carrick or some other DM with hererra and ... say rooney as the 10 and it'd be similarly solid defensively but your getting rooney and hererras attacking contribution instead of just mata's

He'll have his place in the squad next season and I think he'd probably be ok in a midfield with hererra and schneiderlin for instance, think he's underrated on the wing too.
But i dont see van gaal (or many other managers) putting 2 very defensive, safe players in midfield to fit mata in week in week out,
not with the alternative options that united and chelsea have anyway.
 

Varun

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I respect your opinion but there was a time when Cleverley was considered world class on here. It was the red tinted glasses on...Mata is great but he is not a Utd level player..end of story..I reckon he will be sold this summer to Valencia
In your last few posts, you've called Mata "great" and "incredibly gifted footballer" and then finished saying "but he's not United quality".

What level do you think we are at?
 

united_99

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In your last few posts, you've called Mata "great" and "incredibly gifted footballer" and then finished saying "but he's not United quality".

What level do you think we are at?
Haven't you heard we are close to signing Ramos, Ronaldo, Neymar, Modric, Isco and Koke so we have no room for 2nd rate players like Mata who couldn't hold a candle next to our awesome starting 11.
 

Walrus

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@Ringo 07 is obviously exaggerating, but I wouldnt be surprised if he were sold either - if a good offer came in. I dont feel that LVG trusts Mata as a #10/advanced midfielder due to his lack of defensive contribution, and I dont think he is particularly productive playing out wide. With the introduction of Depay, I find it hard to see where exactly Mata fits in to the starting XI.

I would sooner see Depay, Di Maria, Nani or Young as a winger.
 

caid

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@Ringo 07 is obviously exaggerating, but I wouldnt be surprised if he were sold either - if a good offer came in. I dont feel that LVG trusts Mata as a #10/advanced midfielder due to his lack of defensive contribution, and I dont think he is particularly productive playing out wide. With the introduction of Depay, I find it hard to see where exactly Mata fits in to the starting XI.

I would sooner see Depay, Di Maria, Nani or Young as a winger.
Hes good competition for di maria and vice versa imo (and depay by extension).
Young is a different player, hes very functional and (after last season) pretty dependable, its harder to see him prising apart a 10 man defence with a moment of brilliance though.
Hasn't Nani been sold to fenerbache or is that bullshit?

I think he might get more opportunities at #10 in the champions league next season anyway
 

Sam

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Moyes/Cleverley/Anderson/Osman/Mata. Spot the odd one out.

feck me, this place is mental at times.
 

Dante

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He's an incredible player. People talk about how Di Maria is wasteful in possession because he's creative and takes risks. Well, Mata has managed to produce even more end product over his career, whilst at the same time maintaining 90% passing. I'd love to see him given more playmaking responsibility. Even when he's off-form, he's capable of keeping the team's passing going. With Carrick and Rooney's future roles in the team uncertain, I want to see Mata as the man that everyone in the team looks for.
 

Walrus

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Hes good competition for di maria and vice versa imo (and depay by extension).
Young is a different player, hes very functional and (after last season) pretty dependable, its harder to see him prising apart a 10 man defence with a moment of brilliance though.
Hasn't Nani been sold to fenerbache or is that bullshit?

I think he might get more opportunities at #10 in the champions league next season anyway
We will have to wait and see I guess - personally I am not convinced that LVG will want to deploy an out-and-out #10. This season we saw the likes of Fellaini and Herera being used as advanced midfielders who could join the attack but still got back and offered a defensive presence. For me, that provided us with excellent balance and is a system we should stick with, and I dont see Mata in that sort of a role.
 
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