Yeah, but those losses weren't stupid losses like Mkhi has, he didn't exactly have any other viable options in almost every case
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 40
- Goals
- 3
- Assists
- 7
- Yellow cards
- 1
-
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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Mata-mkhi combo has not been working like I thought it would. Both are slow and don't link up well.
Yeah, no regular spark. He worked a lot better with Herrera.
It's quite obvious why they set up like this. Mkhitaryan instigates transitions and counters far, far better than Mata does through the middle with his pace. Mata, is a lot more intelligent in his movement and opens space for Valencia by dragging infield - like he did to Bertrand in the build-up to the goal. Playing this pseudo wing position often gives him a free role, he's not really tightly marked by a fullback. As mentioned above, he's also A LOT better defensively these days. His stamina levels are impressive and for someone relatively immobile, he almost always keeps up with his opposing fullback. And, as also mentioned above, when has he ever played centrally long term for us?
Nah, it's all just about Mkhitaryan playing trash (he hasn't) and the Caf loving the one assist he'll make.
In long term jose.must drop one off mata and mkhi. Both do well when other is not around.
Reading the comments in here are bad or good performance like a two sides coin. I think it was just an okay one to me. Nothing special but nothing much wrong what he did either.
He's a bit pointless, this season. He needs to change soon.
This game isn't for Mata, only worth playing when we're spending a lot of time around the opposition's final third.
I'm surprised he keeps getting picked, out of all our attackers he's been the worst by far. Should be dropped for Martial.
Not a game for him as we didn't have much possession bar the spell after the goal, in the second half it was inevitable he'd come off for Herrera.
Poor performance rather summed up by the moment in the 2nd half when he got presented with the ball by a Southampton player in their half then got tackled while he was figuring out what he wanted to do.
Don't like him away from home against physical sides. Had a shocker today.
I think he's been rather average all season.
Need an upgrade on this position.
Need an upgrade on this position.
I'm surprised anyone thought it'd work. They're both too lightweight to start in attack for us, nevermind both at the same time.
I don't think being lightweight is a big issue, most of the city attackers are lightweight yet they complement each other well. Problem is mata and mkhi repel each other. Their link up play on most occasions sucks. Also, the problem with mkhi is he is one dimensional and just doesn't look around before passing. Mata is better in that regard but problem is mata depends on others for his game to shine.
Jose has to take a decision quickly.
The difference is, even though City's attackers aren't big themselves, they have very good ball control, and shield the ball excellently making it so hard to dispossess them. Mata and Mkhi can't shield the ball to save their lives - they're probably two of the weakest players in the league and, in being so, makes link-up play that much harder as one shove and they've lost the ball.
Look at David Silva. He's not that big but, when pressed, is almost impossible to tackle.
In a game where we're trying to protect a lead, he's not the right choice... but let's not get ahead of ourselves, he's been vital to our flow and fluidity this season. Probably the key part of it all. We can't drop him from the Starting 11.
I think that's doing Mata a disservice, he's no Silva but he buzzes about and keeps the ball well when he has the right players around him. Mkhitaryan on the other hand is always looking for something special and is infuriating because of that.
Mata has incredible movement but that isn't enough for me. He can't dribble or hold off players due to being so weak, and, as the polar opposite of Mkhi, is very reluctant to play killer/long passes and, when he does, isn't consistent with the weight of said passes at all.
I think both need upgrading and I don't say this as someone who's impatient because of one game - I wasn't a fan of signing either of them to start with. I'm not necessarily advocating selling them as they're fine squad options, but I don't think either are good enough to be starters.
I don't understand his automatic pick in the team. Doesn't do enough for me.
Erm what? Mata has not been Vital to anything this season so far.
Im shocked he keeps starting.
He's my favourite player but he's been pretty poor this season. Doesn't he usually average a goal / assist per game?
Then you're not watching the games pal. Our flow of play comes through him and when he doesn't play (like against Stoke and in the Super Cup), we look completely lifeless as far as creativity and passing in tight spaces go.
No surprise we have a few knee jerk reactions in here though. Happens every time
Yeah. If anything Mata is being anti Mata (the Mata in the distant past) this season. Before he's used to go missing and only turn up for final pass. Now he's more the orchestra of our attacking flow in the final third yet failed to add goal and assist to his name.Then you're not watching the games pal. Our flow of play comes through him and when he doesn't play (like against Stoke and in the Super Cup), we look completely lifeless as far as creativity and passing in tight spaces go.
No surprise we have a few knee jerk reactions in here though. Happens every time
If we take him off for Martial, we won't play as good. We're already suffering with the loss of Pogba. Losing Mata's ball retention and orchestra will be a massive hinderance to the team.
We're winning anyway so why does everyone want us to make changes so badly? Get behind the players and stop complaining about how your favourites aren't picked!
What ball retention? This guy keeps losing the ball because he can't shield the ball properly just like mkhi, there's a reason why he's always subbed off in the second half, basically in a tight game he's the last person you can count on
He's subbed off late cause of his energy levels more than likely. Aguero is the same most of the time.
And yeah it would be mind boggling to keep the smallest player on the pitch when the opponent is lumping balls into the box and chasing an equaliser. That's what Fellaini, Matic, Smalling etc are there for. They're not gonna get subbed off over Mata in those circumstances. It would make no sense.
Still doesn't change the fact that when we want to win and score goals, we need him on the field.
A great defensive / team work performance from him today and MOTD also showed that and appreciated his contribution for the win
Mikhi needs to be dropped before him. Mata is very useful against teams that park the bus, not so much in games like this though. Martial should have come on in place of him. We could have killed them on the counter.
Better than Mkhitaryan, but that's like saying horse shit is better than dog shit. They both don't do enough in attack. Hopefully we get Griezmann so we'll have at least upgraded one of them. Because frankly there's currently room for significant improvement in the positions behind Lukaku.
He shouldn't ever be starting tough away games, he just doesn't offer enough of a countering threat.
Works hard always and is tidy, but we need a bit more than that.
Works hard always and is tidy, but we need a bit more than that.
This. Even De Bruyne, he is not that big but he is impossible to tackle without giving free kick away, its all about awareness of space and using the body to shield the ball in which Mata is a little better than Miki but still both are not up to the standard we need or any top side need.
Poor.
Doesn't suit us because our movement as a team is largely terrible. Very little cohesion when we have possession.
Doesn't suit us because our movement as a team is largely terrible. Very little cohesion when we have possession.
When he plays well he scores and makes assists. When he is playing less well, he is still very important to us in order to keep control of a game.
When he is taken of (around the 60 – 70 hour mark) you have two possible scenarios: On a good day we become very dangerous do to added pace in the side on the counter. On a (footballing-wise) bad day like yesterday, we tend to give the full initiative to the opposition and come under very heavy pressure for the last ¼ of the game – sometime holding out like yesterday, but other days drawing or loosing due to loosing the ability to even partly controling the game. I would always select him.
Did very little yesterday. Time to try someone else out there. Martial and Lingard are both in good form.
Any news of his contract situation? Expires in 2018 Summer.
Perhaps. I still get a sense of the Thomas Mueller thing with him, where people cause you to feel silly and simple for not 'getting it', as he is only for the geniuses of football. I'm still not convinced. By either player.
Man Utd 4:0 Crystal Palace
About time. 
It was only a matter of time. Had a feeling it would be today.
The most Mata goal ever. That move should be named after him.
The most Mata goal ever. That move should be named after him.
Had a feeling today would be the day and had worn his jersey add my part of good luck
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