Think he's been v good to be honest
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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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Very good for Stoke
When people say they cant understand why Rooney plays deeper than him you just have to show them what Mata has done in his last few games. I like Rooney a lot and think he is our best player but i would rather have Mata support our strikers
Been our best player by far
Been our best player by far
Odd player to criticize today. I think he's been our most involved player going forward.
Exactly.
An invisible passenger, as expected in this fixture. The mind boggles that he stayed on for 90 minutes. LvG made odd decisions today.
I agree. One of the rare players whose the touch wasn't pure shit.
Slow as a donkey in transitioning defence into attack. But still one of our better players today
Ding!
To be fair. Lack of movement in our midfield (Rooney) and RVP and Falcao dropping deep without any interchange between them made it harder for him. Definitely got better when Ander came on.
Must have a good second half I guess as he was invisible in the first.
That's what I felt.
Thought he was very good today. Linked up play and used the ball well. Rooney, on the other hand, was gash and offer no support at all.
I don't think he did much at all, really. He forgot to pass forward again. Rooney of course didn't do much, but he was the central midfielder, Mata was the #10. The duty to create openings lies with him. It was just another cute and tidy touches and good retention match that we're used to seeing from Mata, and nothing like how he played against Newcastle or Spurs.
Those 4 seasons also include the last season where he did absolutely nothing.
He was one of the better performers out there today. Quiet in the first half but had much more of an impact in the second half.
He was one of our better players today, although that's not really saying much, everyone else was mediocre. I thought our team and particularly Mata (and Rooney) suffered a lot because of the crappy conditions today. They couldn't really get their long passing going. It was hard to get a short passing game going with the way Stoke were defending, all men behind the ball. Basically, the shitty conditions today ruined our game IMO. Mata couldn't even take a corner without the ball moving from the wind.
He did OK but the whole team apart for Falcao were mediocre at best. Still question marks over his away form.
Our best player today, and the only player who looked like he wanted to do anything offensively.
I'd love to see him now at the head of the diamond with Di Maria, Herrera and Carrick behind. Some serious creativity there.
I'd love to see him now at the head of the diamond with Di Maria, Herrera and Carrick behind. Some serious creativity there.
He's been our best player over the Xmas period, was happy with him again today. Played a couple of great balls into RVP.
Thought h was very good again. Not the game or conditions for a technical player like Mata but he dealt with it well and put a good game together.
Another average performance against Stoke but he wasn't alone, would still look to off load him in the summer not because he is a bad player but because we blatantly need an injection of pace and team still needs a lot of work in other departments so someone has to be sacrificed.
Why does somebody need to be sacrificed? It's brilliant having a player like him as a rotation option, will always get plenty of games and on his day is world class. Having players like him just increase the quality of the squad.
Because we already have Rooney, januzaj and Herrera so that's plenty, swapping mata for an attacking player with some pace who can beat a man would make us a better team. We also need new additions elsewhere and budget isn't limitless so if we spend a sizeable chunk on falcao we will need to sell.
Mata also left Chelsea because he didn't want to be a rotation option so I don't see him being happy here if that is his role.
What have Januzaj or Herrera done to warrant a place ahead of Mata? Only Rooney from those you've mentioned deserves to be played ahead of him to be fair.
Mata has shown far more then the others apart from Rooney, and Januzaj is more of a winger anyways, while Herrera is more of a central midfielder but can equally player as an attacking midfielder. We need a winger, yes, but we definitely don't need to change our attacking midfield group, as next season we'll probably have an extra 10-15 games added on compared to this season, with us being in the champions league and almost definitely going further in the capital one cup. There will be a lot more chances for others to get games, and it's not as if he's been starved of games so far, in fact he has the 4th most minutes played so far this season, after De Gea, RvP and Rooney.
Our budget isn't limitless but we're probably as far as it gets from needing to sell in order to spend, so I wouldn't worry about that. Even if we were to sell people, I doubt we'd sell someone with Mata's quality. He's been here for just under a year and has been inconsistent but there have been plenty of class performances. If he gets the consistency which I'm sure he can, then he would be a key player, let alone just a squad player.
He has great skills and can pop up out of nowhere for a goal but his lack of size and pace is really killing our attack in Di Maria's absence. There was a perfect example in the last minutes on Thursday where he was on a break with Rooney, got confronted by one of the Stoke defenders, and stopped cold. Killed the entire attack because of his small size and an unwillingness to take defenders 1 v. 1. While he is a valuable player to have, especially for set pieces, he is just not getting it done in open play.
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Saturday is tomorrow, the Stoke game was yesterday.
I am not saying they deserve a place ahead of him but when di Maria is back and if/when we bring in another quick attacker that we are crying out for I don't see how he fits into the starting eleven, he will block januzaj's development so I would sell him in the summer.
Mata has also been given a lot more opportunities in comparison to the other two, has been very inconsistent and may well lose his place to di Maria this season so he could be on the bench very soon. I like him as a player but he is someone we don't really need and I see him as being much more likely to be deemed surplus to requirements than any of the other big names.
I dont ever see him being a key player, too slow and dependent on movement of others, he needs to be played in a different role in a different formation and if that happens he will struggle to get in the team even without any new additions.
Is it just my opinion, or do some people seem to have entrenched views that nothing will change, whether because of stubbornness, or a totally misplaced view.
Mata has been one of our better players in the past few games, and he may not be 100% in every game - but who has been?
Mata has been one of our better players in the past few games, and he may not be 100% in every game - but who has been?
Isn't Saturday before Friday?
There's definitely space for both. Just drop one of the strikers which I'm sure is what will happen eventually with them aging.
Also with the januzaj thing.. If he's good enough, he'll force himself into the team like any other youngster does. Nobody gets their spot handed to them, definitely not at a team as big as United. There's nobody blocking his development and nobody who will stop him from reaching his potential but himself.
If LvG intends to move to 4-3-3 and doesn't want to play Rooney in the front 3 I don't see much of a future for Mata at United.
When di Maria is back mata will be on the bench, if we sign the additional attacking players we need he will be on the bench or sold, he isn't good enough to be first choice and if he stays at the club it limits januzaj's opportunities. Januzaj shouldn't have anything handed to him but he is young and if he doesn't play it will limit his development and he will end up leaving instead.
If we continue with mata, Rooney, RVP anda falcao we won't compete for the title, we are too slow and one dimensional, if we bring players in we can't keep them all it's as simple as that.
When once it looked that he had no place in the team, he's now played himself into it, because of that others will now to have up their performances. IMO, he's one of only three players who are guaranteed a start at the moment.
He's been very good recently. Not sure why some are still complaining.
He's only playing because LVG has got no one else he trusts to select. Once Di Maria is back then Mata will be relegated back to the bench. He was bought in to provide assists and create chances for the team, he doesn't do that efficiently enough, he also let's players just walk through him which is annoying to watch as I've seen smaller players than Mata get stuck in.
For £37million I want an Aguero type player not a passenger which unfortunately all Mata has been in the last 12 months especially in the big games. Yes he has improved and played well over the last 3 games but not to the extent in which he has won us games single handily which is what you would expect from someone with his price tag.
For £37million I want an Aguero type player not a passenger which unfortunately all Mata has been in the last 12 months especially in the big games. Yes he has improved and played well over the last 3 games but not to the extent in which he has won us games single handily which is what you would expect from someone with his price tag.
What did you want for di Maria's price? Messi? What did you want for Herrera's price? Scholes to return to football and become 24 years of age?
Agree with the other part for the most, Mata hasnt been good enough at all generally.
He was very good in the last games, I don't see how he could be dropped.
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