[Varun]

The problem is that neither Martial or Rashford have shown the level of Di Maria, Robben, Hazard etc to be able to go from their own half to the opponents goal.

Martial and Rashford are great when teams park the bus and they dont have other responsibilities but when they must maintain a good shape, track runners, cover space they struggle to do those things and be effective in attack.

This is the reason why we wanted Perisic; because he is a player that will defend in one instance and be at the other end of the pitch 10 seconds later.

I disagree with pretty much all of that I'm afraid but I won't get into it because I don't see what Mata on the right does wrt your post that rashford wouldn't.

 

[Dobbs]

I think we've under utilised his best years by playing him out of position. The guy should have been our No.10 from the day he arrived.

 

[gavdim2002]

I think we've under utilised his best years by playing him out of position. The guy should have been our No.10 from the day he arrived.

This.

 

[Blind]

He needs to play as a number 10 on Saturday, if ever there's a time to drop Mhkhitaryan and let Mata take his role it's against an out of form Huddersfield.

 

[sullydnl]

Bad mistake.

 

[The Stain]

Lovely bloke and apparently he helps keep possession (really?) but he's not good enough to be a starter for us.

 

[Robaldo]

Really, really average player. Makes the odd nice touch but rarely offers anything else.

 

[#07]

Hasn't really got the physicality for days like today has he?

 

[anant]

Having a poor game. His touches have been surprisingly poor today

 

[Kapardin]

This is why I wanted both a #10 and a winger at the start of the season. Our attack is not good enough and Mata is as average as they come.

 

[Sammyjunn]

Slow and weak.

 

[Bjerring]

should've smacked Mooy down at the halfway-line

 

[Sammyjunn]

This is why I wanted both a #10 and a winger at the start of the season. Our attack is not good enough and Mata is as average as they come.

2nd this, I said Lukaku, Martial, Rashford and Mata would be a very underwhelming attack, sadly it seems to be true. There is no imagination, but they will improve a bit when Pogba comes back.

 

[Minimalist]

Some amount of drivel in here. He lost the ball on the half way line with players behind him fs. Idiots.

 

[marktan]

Some amount of drivel in here. He lost the ball on the half way line with players behind him fs. Idiots.

He's offered nothing this season though. That left flank may as well not exist with him there, 90% of the time he'll receive the ball, pass it back, and then run away into the centre. Compare that to all of the other top 5 teams and they all have players that actually do something (Salah, Pedro/Willian, Eriksen, Sterling). His one redeeming feature is that he gets the occasional goal, but it's not enough and severely limits us.

 

[Robaldo]

He's offered nothing this season though. That left flank may as well not exist with him there, 90% of the time he'll receive the ball, pass it back, and then run away into the centre. Compare that to all of the other top 5 teams and they all have players that actually do something (Salah, Pedro/Willian, Eriksen, Sterling). His one redeeming feature is that he gets the occasional goal, but it's not enough and severely limits us.

This. But that one redeeming feature consists of only one goal this season and that was in a 4-0 win at home to Palace.

 

[mewnew11]

Back pass side pass .....back pass side pass... Repeat....rinse .... Repeat.

 

[RedStarUnited]

He doesnt offer anything in terms of creativity. All he does is keep the ball moving sideways doesnt ever look forward.

And that atempt to pull the huddlesfield guy back was awful. He tried to pull him down with his hands and still couldnt?

 

[Yagami]

Both he and Mkhi aren't good enough. Ozil won't be an improvement either as he's another who only plays well when the team is and doesn't step up when needed. If we had Fekir as our 10 we'd be so much better off.

 

[lawliet354]

Lovely bloke and apparently he helps keep possession (really?) but he's not good enough to be a starter for us.

Yeah he keeps possession when the opponent doesn't press, he lost the ball 90% of the time with opponent's pressing, such a weak player physically and apparently sideways passing is his specialty now, and his corner is shit too

 

[spiriticon]

I love out Mata but he's having a shocker today. Luckily for him Lindelof is having an even worse afternoon so the spotlight isn't fully on him.

 

[Mockney]

He hasn't been great this season so far, sadly.

 

[Roboc7]

Waste of space in games likes this, even without the mistake it has been a shocking performance.

 

[Son Of Sam]

Mata has been poor this season. If you compare with David Silva brings to Mata’s performance, it’s like day and night.

At least when you lose the ball, don’t lose the man. He’s too “nice” for these tough away games. He’s surely let his team down.

 

[settembrini]

He's having a terrible season. Hope we replace him soon.

 

[NoLogo]

Shitty performance from him. Lost the ball way too easily today and the sub isn't entirely unjustified but I don't have much hopes that Mkhi will be any better.

 

[bosnian_red]

We love him but hes not really good enough to be starting every week is he? Good passer and gets in good positions but he loses it so carelessly sometimes.

 

[Bjerring]

roaming build up play is nice and soothing for the eyes, but for Mata to end up positioning him self as holding midfielder is just naive.

EDIT: At the blipping halfway-line!

 

[anant]

Poor performance and at fault for the 1st goal but if you're losing the ball at half way line and your entire back 4 is behind you and they had just 1 player in front of Mooy there, it shouldn't end up as a goal. That too after an initial save!

 

[Hed Zitin]

All Mata has done for a while now is recycle the ball. On the one hand we have very few players that are good at that, but he's supposed to score and create way more than he does, so it's really not good enough.

 

[Roboc7]

Never has or ever will be quite good enough. If we want to progress we need someone much better than him and mikh.

 

[M Bison]

Never been a fan since the buffoon signed him. Wouldn't get in any other top 6 side and I’m amazed he’s still here.

As with Miki, should only ever play home games vs bottom half sides.

 

[Luke1995]

Mata is as slow as Carrick and has worse passing and work-rate. I say when Carrick is fit, if Pogba doesn't recover in time, get Mata out of the team and the captain in as I don't want Fellaini anywhere near. Terrible performance, If Mesut Ozil is still available come June, United need to at least make a bid.

 

[Leftback99]

Went missing when needed as usual but yet people thought we could have taken the game to Liverpool by playing him last week.

 

[Devil may care]

Even before the errror he was struggling to get into the game, there's a reason he has spent most of his time in the PL playing off the right and picking up clever positions, rather than in the eye of the storm at #10, he's not phsyical enough to deal with the heat on the ball in there in the league.

 

[SNes]

Another shocker tonight today.

 

[NoLogo]

What are the stats so far? Does he or Mkhi lose the ball more often in a game?

 

[Hugh Jass]

Big error today. Has cost us the match.

 

[Zoo]

He is way too experienced not to see what happened to him coming a mile off. Horrendous play.

 

[Akshay]

What are the stats so far? Does he or Mkhi lose the ball more often in a game?

Mkhi, easily. Gets dispossessed about twice a game compared to Mata once in two games, and Mata has a better pass completion as well. That said, I think Mkhi provides a lot more penetration.