Why does he play so deep? He and Herrera should change positions. Not sure he'd be much better though
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 35
- Goals
- 10
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 2
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
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While others were all misplacing passes and getting caught on the ball, Mata kept it simple. And that was the problem. He wasn't offering himself for the pass often, he wasn't trying to create. In the first half when there was such a gaping gap with the 3-5-2 rather than as the playmaker try and get control of the game he scuttled on the periphery. I'm a big Mata fan but he's fair-weather. Like Mesut Ozil. Like Shinji Kagawa. These players aren't dynamic enough off the ball, or even in attack with the ball and disclipined, deep defences will nullify them.
He's played his way out of the lineup for Sunday.
️Love mata, but am starting to fear for his future here. As others have posted he's a luxury player. He's no good when on the back foot and playing deep.
I sometimes forget he exists.
Strange from Mata, in that he didn't do too much wrong but he didn't do too much right either. Had some decent moments after Herrera came on when he had someone to play off of but he was pretty unambitious in his passing on the whole. I can't really criticise him for anything major, just I would like to see him show his class in matches like today's.
People's reactions in this thread are almost as knee jerk as the RvP ones.
Mata is a superb footballer.
Mata is a superb footballer.
Captain invisible, great if your side is dominant in midfield and he's able to get on the ball often, waste of time if your midfield is up against it, you can see why Mourinho didn't like him.
A nothing performance. Almost completely invisible until he was subbed. Fannied around in the middle and didn't offer anything defensively or offensively. Just stood about and observed things.
With Rooney dropping deep all game, it was hard to see Mata doing much as a #10. Did some decent work defending-but can't figure out how he can disappear in a game like this.
That's it really, he only shows up when the team is dominating play. Away from home he is one of our biggest problems.
Nothing performance has something to do with being played so deep. He is totally unsuited to that role, needs to be more offensive to affect the game. Still an absolutely fabulous footballer.
He was well and truly invisible tonight. In our original midfield setup of Carrick/Fellaini/Mata (and even after Herrera came on), he should have been the one showing for the ball and giving the other players an option. He didnt do this when he was playing as #10 and he didnt do it after dropping deeper. Really just added nothing to the team unfortunately.
Glad I'm not the only one? One of the only players who didn't make a mistake. He was quiet yes, but when the team struggles to hold the ball in possession, which is the last thing he needs, then he will look anonymous.
I hardly noticed him. no pace no power. great player but only good for teams who dont press.
Will end up on the bench because he is a luxury player and one we don't really need, I don't see how he fits in unless he plays as a number ten which isn't going to happen or when we are at home against weak sides. Not worth the money we paid and we would be better off replacing him with a different player.
Pass on what you were smoking mate, he did absolutely nothing.
Genuinely awful. I still rate him, but I'd like to see Herrera behind Rooney and RVP next week. Or, if Di Maria is back, Herrera next to Carrick and Fellaini, and Angel #10.
Another 3 tackles and 2 interceptions. Good work Juan, but remember that you're paid to be our creative player and you haven't been for a while now... So wake up
He was kind of shit but not Fellaini and Hererra shit. Our least wasteful player, by a margin and saw more of the ball than any other midfielder. Faint praise though. Did very little of note.
I feel he was a victim their tactics tonight. They were pressing us quite intensely when we had the ball and we were more or less struggling with possession as a result.
Herrera shit?
If you keep chucking in anonymous performances like that you'll eventually fall out of the first team or get sold. When everyone is fit he has the first one cracked. The latter is not far off at this rate.
It'll be a shame if he goes and I certainly think he's been hard done by at times in that we don't play to his strengths at all but there you go. Life is tough and all that.
It'll be a shame if he goes and I certainly think he's been hard done by at times in that we don't play to his strengths at all but there you go. Life is tough and all that.
Most of the team was a victim of the tactics.
Definition of homer. Useless in big away games.
Complete and utter passenger in games like this. Doesn't do enough on the ball to make up for how frail and immobile he is.
The reactions on here 
He grew into the game and relieved the pressure in that 2nd half. I watched him quite closely in the first half and he wasn't hiding from the ball, he actually got through a heap of work when we had the ball but when you have colour blind Fellaini on the ball, it's always hard to receive the ball.
Not saying he was great but the reactions in here are unbelievable.
Hugs.
He grew into the game and relieved the pressure in that 2nd half. I watched him quite closely in the first half and he wasn't hiding from the ball, he actually got through a heap of work when we had the ball but when you have colour blind Fellaini on the ball, it's always hard to receive the ball.
Not saying he was great but the reactions in here are unbelievable.
Hugs.
He has very little influence in away games. We should just start him in home games.
That's how I saw it too. He has good technical ability so he doesn't make the obvious errors with poor passes like the other two but in reality he was probably just as poor as them because he was so invisible.
He's such a graceful and talented player on form. He failed to make any significant contribution today. Most of his passes were sideways or backwards. He never dealt with Southampton's pressing game.
Everyone seems to over react when it comes to Mata. No need to sell him- he is very good against teams we are expected to have the majority of the ball against. Games like tonight don't suit him. I'm sure when LVG has all the squad to choose from Mata will not play in tough away fixtures.
He is just too slow, too small and defensively not good enough to start away games. He is left chasing shadows when he is the slowest and weakest player on the pitch. We can start Mata at OT against teams such as Hull when we have a lot of the ball and need to unlock tight defences.
He is a very likable character but he has been a bit of a disappointment after signing for us, and it is easy to see why Mou couldn't resist the tempatation of getting 37m in return for Mata who is a bit of luxury player ill suited to the modern pacy game that football has become. I know that he was great while at Chelsea but he is better suited to Spanish football. Silva is such an imperior player to Mata. Silva can dominate games and create chances, Mata is a pale shadow of the player that he was while at Chelsea and not everything is down to the way we are set up and how we play.
He is a very likable character but he has been a bit of a disappointment after signing for us, and it is easy to see why Mou couldn't resist the tempatation of getting 37m in return for Mata who is a bit of luxury player ill suited to the modern pacy game that football has become. I know that he was great while at Chelsea but he is better suited to Spanish football. Silva is such an imperior player to Mata. Silva can dominate games and create chances, Mata is a pale shadow of the player that he was while at Chelsea and not everything is down to the way we are set up and how we play.
The problem is, he never does.
He is a good player no doubt about it but you either play him in his correct position and get quick players around him or you sell him and bring in someone else. Since we signed him we have shoe horned him into the team and asked him to play roles which he just isn't equipped to do, he has a great left foot and his goals and assists often paper over very poor all round performances.
He was playing way too deep today, he offers very little around the centre circle. His strengths are in the final third, on the edge of the box creating spaces. He was virtually never there today but he'll do better in other games.
The removal van full of our money he'll take with him may be some consolation.
I'm starting to think that Mourinho may have just known what he was doing! I love Mata, but in games like tonight, he's a passenger. I just don't see how we can fit him and Rooney in the same side.
He's supposed to be the sort of player that alleviates the sort of pressure those tactics impose on us. Did not offer an outlet and was extremely uninvolved and absent for the most part. Sorry but he's nowhere near good enough. Kagawa wouldve been crucified for a performance like that.
That would work if our broader tactics were to mitigate their pressure with counters. Unfortunately we were too nervy in the first half for players like Mata to be effective with the system.
It's rare that you'll see Mata put in a shift against a top 6 teams as he simply isn't dynamic enough for the top teams but he still will pop up with a few lovely touches in a game like this but the game mostly passed him by
Yea fair enough mate. But we need someone in that positiom who doesn't go missing in high intensity games and who doesn't quail under pressing. You don't see Eriksen or Silva doing that. His lack of pace is painful too.
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