[finneh]

His rating today is a joke. People complain about him having no defensive clout and being lazy in that regard. He puts in the biggest defensive shift in his time here and has a great assist to boot and is rated as one of our worst players.

He played very well today.

 

[JinnerJamie]

His rating today is a joke. People complain about him having no defensive clout and being lazy in that regard. He puts in the biggest defensive shift in his time here and has a great assist to boot and is rated as one of our worst players.

He played very well today.

Agreed 7/10 from me today, he's get a rough ride but bar the West Brom game he's been very good since new year.

 

[Devil may care]

I thought he did ok, certainly put in plenty of running, he still just can't get turned or win a 50/50 though, I think switching Linbgard into his role in the middle has given us an ability to switch from defense to attack quicker because Lingard can turn and run with the ball.

 

[anant]

Had a good performance, one of the reasons might have been tomorrow's blog where he cant get away with apologising for 2 games!

 

[finneh]

Agreed 7/10 from me today, he's get a rough ride but bar the West Brom game he's been very good since new year.

I don't mind people not liking the kind of player he is... I watch football with people that dislike Smalling massively, but they at least make good points (although most of them are basically that he isn't Rio Ferdinand who is a once in a generation defender).

With Mata he gets criticised for things that we never expected him to be able to do, which means he should have a flood of those posters praising him for today's performance.

He worked hard, had a great assist and was defensively good. Anyone giving him less than a solid 7 I'd say has preconceptions.

 

[anant]

I don't mind people not liking the kind of player he is... I watch football with people that dislike Smalling massively, but they at least make good points (although most of them are basically that he isn't Rio Ferdinand who is a once in a generation defender).

With Mata he gets criticised for things that we never expected him to be able to do, which means he should have a flood of those posters praising him for today's performance.

He worked hard, had a great assist and was defensively good. Anyone giving him less than a solid 7 I'd say has preconceptions.

This.

 

[Obiorahking_]

I don't mind people not liking the kind of player he is... I watch football with people that dislike Smalling massively, but they at least make good points (although most of them are basically that he isn't Rio Ferdinand who is a once in a generation defender).

With Mata he gets criticised for things that we never expected him to be able to do, which means he should have a flood of those posters praising him for today's performance.

He worked hard, had a great assist and was defensively good. Anyone giving him less than a solid 7 I'd say has preconceptions.

I second this.
I also enjoyed watching the occasional 1 touch passing with him and Schneiderlin.

 

[Cheesy]

Good first half performance from him today.

 

[Giant Midget]

He simply does not have the ability to turn with the ball. How can a #10 be so poor in such a crucial aspect of that position?

Another one of your players that lacks a fundamental ability to play their position - Blind as a CB who can't really head the ball, Fellaini a CM who can't pass the ball, and Depay a winger who can't beat players.

 

[the hea]

Had a good first half but disappeared in the second, taking him off was the right decision from LVG.

 

[FC Ronaldo]

Guns.

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Hugs.

 

[united_99]

If he played like Silva did today or for a while actually he would get hammered. Needed to perform after a disappointed performance against Liverpool and he did.

 

[Sylar]

Him in the middle with pace around him (on the wings and up front). He will find them.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

This thug kicked poor old Sterling out of the game today.

 

[Lawman]

The quicker we replace him the better roll on Jose.

 

[Lawman]

His rating today is a joke. People complain about him having no defensive clout and being lazy in that regard. He puts in the biggest defensive shift in his time here and has a great assist to boot and is rated as one of our worst players.

He played very well today.

i thought he was stone average but then again I think he is pretty average.

 

[Bwuk]

He was very good today, but he isn't a winger.

 

[sullydnl]

If he played like Silva did today or for a while actually he would get hammered. Needed to perform after a disappointed performance against Liverpool and he did.

Was thinking about that Silva comparison earlier too. For all people have complained about Mata and compared him unfavourably to Silva, I'm pretty sure our guy is having the better season (even after taking Silva's absence through injury earlier in the season into account).

 

[finneh]

i thought he was stone average but then again I think he is pretty average.

That doesn't surprise me given your contributions to this thread. You to Mata is the antithesis to Mad Winger and Kagawa. You go beyond the realms of reasonable criticism such that you can't be taken seriously with regards to his performances.

 

[Rossa]

Was pretty good today, but there was this one moment when he received the ball and had acres of space to run into in a straight line, and yet he leisurely strolled sideways and passed it that way. If he instead had sprinted (well...) towards their goal, he would have opened up space for the wide men. Instead he sort of cluttered that area and delivered a five yard pass. He does that from time to time. With Lingard, it's always a run in a straight line, so whilst Mata is the superior player, Lingard carries the ball to our attack so much faster.

 

[Adisa]

The quicker we replace him the better roll on Jose.

You repeat the same thing every time. Take a brake, he played well today.

 

[Lawman]

That doesn't surprise me given your contributions to this thread. You to Mata is the antithesis to Mad Winger and Kagawa. You go beyond the realms of reasonable criticism such that you can't be taken seriously with regards to his performances.

Yep you are probably correct my mates say the same when we go down to games so hard to argue with. But I just can't abide a player so soft centred.

 

[Lawman]

You repeat the same thing every time. Take a brake, he played well today.

I don't honestly think he did and if that's him playing well....

 

[finneh]

Yep you are probably correct my mates say the same when we go down to games so hard to argue with. But I just can't abide a player so soft centred.

I appreciate that, he is certainly a player who polarises opinions and it's quite refreshing hearing someone admit they aren't at all objective!

 

[SSSSnake]

Mata has turned into a luxury player. Great to have for back up but what does he really offer? He can't carry the ball and he doesn't ping killer balls like Silva et al. He doesn't get into the box and is far too slow. United are slowly turning a corner and we need pace to match our quick counter attacking/possession football.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Fair play to him. He was crucial to us having that good a first half. The touch, 1-2 with Carrick and pass to Rashford for the winning goal was quality play.

 

[bosnian_red]

Was thinking about that Silva comparison earlier too. For all people have complained about Mata and compared him unfavourably to Silva, I'm pretty sure our guy is having the better season (even after taking Silva's absence through injury earlier in the season into account).

Yeah he's been a lot better then Silva this season without a doubt.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Mata - I can never work out whether he's a really good player or not

Still, I guess it won't Mata if Jose comes in

 

[Raees]

He's like the epitome of Van Gaal on the pitch.. consistently shite and then pulls off a half decent performance once in a blue moon and suddenly half the fans think he is worth persisting with again.

He needs to be sold in the summer - end of. We're not winning any major titles while he is a pre-eminent member of the team. Top 4 and FA Cup glory maybe but even that will be a big struggle.. he holds us back more than enhances the team in the long term.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

He's like the epitome of Van Gaal on the pitch.. consistently shite and then pulls off a half decent performance once in a blue moon and suddenly half the fans think he is worth persisting with again.

He needs to be sold in the summer - end of. We're not winning any major titles while he is a pre-eminent member of the team. Top 4 and FA Cup glory maybe but even that will be a big struggle.. he holds us back more than enhances the team in the long term.

Even if you don't think he should be a starter... why should we sell a player who is never injured, never complains and will - at the very least - be a great squad option to have... especially since we have an incredibly thin squad as it is, and half of this thin squad spends the majority of its time on the treatment table - except Mata. Whilst I get that some people don't like Mata, the idea of demanding him be sold is completely irrational when looking at our current squad.

Also, Van Gaal is holding us back, not Mata.

 

[Turnip]

I agree he has a tendency to disappear for huge chunks of matches, but he also comes up with the goods just when they're needed too. He has 9 goals and 10 assists this season, when we've scored 38, so he's been directly involved in half of our goals this season. I'm not saying that's an amazing record considering he's probably got the most starts this season apart from Dave, but is it really an asset we want rid of when we're struggling to score?

He seems dedicated and has a pretty good health record (a rarity in our squad, so worth pointing out) and a lot of a fans love him. If he's sold it's because Jose has beef with him, and I think that's a shitty reason to sell a player that could be of use.

 

[Raees]

Even if you don't think he should be a starter... why should we sell a player who is never injured, never complains and will - at the very least - be a great squad option to have... especially since we have an incredibly thin squad as it is, and half of this thin squad spends the majority of its time on the treatment table - except Mata. Whilst I get that some people don't like Mata, the idea of demanding him be sold is completely irrational when looking at our current squad.

Also, Van Gaal is holding us back, not Mata.

Never complains? he has a face like a smacked arse every time he is taken off or is on the bench. I don't see him as a great squad player.. at the moment he is pretty much a starter in 9/10 games and therefore he hasn't thrown his toys out of the pram. Under someone competent like Jose, he'd barely get a look in and I can't see him accepting such a role.

He also has a fair amount of value attached to him, we could recoup a fair bit from selling him (maybe in the region of £25-£30m).

I wouldn't sell him until replacements are brought in first. It is irrational to sell players and then completely flop in terms of bringing in replacements.. lets nail some transfer targets first and then we can balance the books by letting him go.

Van Gaal of course has held us back but I can't help but feel that he has suffered greatly due to decisions taken by Moyes and he has exacerbated the situation by not rectifying these mistakes. The signing of Mata, Fellaini and the contract extension of Rooney was three of the most catastrophic decisions taken by United in the past 4 years and the main reason why we are the cumbersome mess we see today.

Whenever Van Gaal has been forced to play youngsters/quicker players.. his philosophy doesn't look all that shite and we look half decent on the ball.

Ultimately he himself is responsible but Mata/Fellaini and Rooney will epitomise this era for me.. Cannot wait for the day when all three of them as well as the manager are not at this club.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Never complains? he has a face like a smacked arse every time he is taken off or is on the bench. I don't see him as a great squad player.. at the moment he is pretty much a starter in 9/10 games and therefore he hasn't thrown his toys out of the pram. Under someone competent like Jose, he'd barely get a look in and I can't see him accepting such a role.

He also has a fair amount of value attached to him, we could recoup a fair bit from selling him (maybe in the region of £25-£30m).

I wouldn't sell him until replacements are brought in first. It is irrational to sell players and then completely flop in terms of bringing in replacements.. lets nail some transfer targets first and then we can balance the books by letting him go.

Van Gaal of course has held us back but I can't help but feel that he has suffered greatly due to decisions taken by Moyes and he has exacerbated the situation by not rectifying these mistakes. The signing of Mata, Fellaini and the contract extension of Rooney was three of the most catastrophic decisions taken by United in the past 4 years and the main reason why we are the cumbersome mess we see today.

Whenever Van Gaal has been forced to play youngsters/quicker players.. his philosophy doesn't look all that shite and we look half decent on the ball.

Ultimately he himself is responsible but Mata/Fellaini and Rooney will epitomise this era for me.. Cannot wait for the day when all three of them as well as the manager are not at this club.

I mean, does any player look happy when they're taken off or on the bench? It's not like he's refusing to come on when he is on the bench, or throwing his shirt around when he's taken off or anything. There was also a big stretch of games last season where he was on the bench... much like there was when he was at Chelsea, and neither time did he really throw his toys or anything.

Also, not sure I agree with the last part... we've looked shite at various different times under LVG... regardless of youngsters/quicker players or whatever else... his philosphy has, more often then not, been complete bollocks.

 

[jem]

Never complains? he has a face like a smacked arse every time he is taken off or is on the bench. I don't see him as a great squad player.. at the moment he is pretty much a starter in 9/10 games and therefore he hasn't thrown his toys out of the pram. Under someone competent like Jose, he'd barely get a look in and I can't see him accepting such a role.

He also has a fair amount of value attached to him, we could recoup a fair bit from selling him (maybe in the region of £25-£30m).

I wouldn't sell him until replacements are brought in first. It is irrational to sell players and then completely flop in terms of bringing in replacements.. lets nail some transfer targets first and then we can balance the books by letting him go.

Van Gaal of course has held us back but I can't help but feel that he has suffered greatly due to decisions taken by Moyes and he has exacerbated the situation by not rectifying these mistakes. The signing of Mata, Fellaini and the contract extension of Rooney was three of the most catastrophic decisions taken by United in the past 4 years and the main reason why we are the cumbersome mess we see today.

Whenever Van Gaal has been forced to play youngsters/quicker players.. his philosophy doesn't look all that shite and we look half decent on the ball.

Ultimately he himself is responsible but Mata/Fellaini and Rooney will epitomise this era for me.. Cannot wait for the day when all three of them as well as the manager are not at this club.

You are clearly just seeing what you want to see.

 

[Escobar]

He is just not consistent enough. He showed in the past that he can be a very good player. But then again, too often he is just poor and doesnt find his role.

 

[dichinero]

I agree he has a tendency to disappear for huge chunks of matches, but he also comes up with the goods just when they're needed too. He has 9 goals and 10 assists this season, when we've scored 38, so he's been directly involved in half of our goals this season. I'm not saying that's an amazing record considering he's probably got the most starts this season apart from Dave, but is it really an asset we want rid of when we're struggling to score?

He seems dedicated and has a pretty good health record (a rarity in our squad, so worth pointing out) and a lot of a fans love him. If he's sold it's because Jose has beef with him, and I think that's a shitty reason to sell a player that could be of use.

This

 

[anant]

Although I agree that he isn't very consistent, he should right now be the least of our concern. There are far too many positions that need to be replaced before him. DDG might leave, our RB hasn't been as good as Mata this season, We need a CB, maybe 2. We need to replace Carrick and we definitely will be going for a RW. We should be in the market for a ST as well. That is atleast 6 players. Add to that a CM as well if you dont think Schneiderlin and/or Herrera should be starting.
Also, we have 20-22 players as of now. If we are to play a season where injuries don't majorly affect the outcome then 2-3 squad players as well.
Even if Jose comes, I dont think he'd sell Mata. At Chelsea he had options. He had Oscar who is a works harder than Mata on field and thats what Mou wanted. At Utd, he doesn't have an option. He knows he needs to buy 6-8 players at the minimum before he can even think about replacing Mata

 

[jem]

I only watched from the 50th minute on, but I thought he looked great: silky touches (including one that set up our goal,) hard work (including feisty moments,) and great recycling of possession. He's underwhelmed quite a bit this season, but I have no complaints with what I saw today.

 

[m1y2]

I only watched from the 50th minute on, but I thought he looked great: silky touches (including one that set up our goal,) hard work (including feisty moments,) and great recycling of possession. He's underwhelmed quite a bit this season, but I have no complaints with what I saw today.

he started to be good from around that 5Oth minute

 

[Devil may care]

He was non existent in the first half but played pretty well in the second, not a long term starter for me though.