I don't see how mata has done enough to warrant being in the team over rashford and martial. Not that mata has been bad but those lads really deserve to start together.
8
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 40
- Goals
- 3
- Assists
- 7
- Yellow cards
- 1
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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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I like the wee man but I will always be annoyed about the fact that he is a one off in a team with strong and physical players. Mata is like a mosquito. I dont like exceptions.
Dribbles, tackles, headers and interceptions.
And he wins more free kicks.
And he is about 10x better with his weaker foot.
He does everything Mata does with regard to scoring goals and creating chances plus his pace and dribbling ability give us an extra dimension in attack plus he contributes far more defensively. It's not even a contest between the two players, one just offers significantly more than the other.
Tackles, interception, winning free kicks? That's what you came up with? Mata is a better dribbler, just not as fast. He has a better final ball, he moves the ball quicker, usually releases it with one or two touches whereas Mkhitaryan will sometimes take too many touches in the build up. When it gets to around the box he moves it a bit quicker but when he's 30 yards from goal very rarely will you see him initiate quick interchanges to get between the lines, Mata often does this. Mata is a better finisher and has better movement. What he lacks in pace he makes up for in always being willing to run in behind, he ghosts past defenders. He also retains possession better too, too often Mkhitaryan will try shielding it and just lose possession, or let it run across his body and get tackles. Mata is better in this regard.
Also, to the guy saying 'Mkhi has 5 assists so Mkhi > Mata.' You can use stats to favour anyone, Ronaldo scores more goals than Messi normally, which makes them seem close, when we all know Messi is twice the player Ronaldo is.
You asked what he did better. I told you. Mkhitaryan contributes more than Mata when United don't have the ball. Just because you don't like that reality doesn't mean you can dismiss it.
Mata is objectively a worse dribbler managing just 0.84 successful take-ons per 90 minutes last season. Mkhitaryan had 2.0.
Mata is no better in terms of passing/creating/movement. Both players are very good in this regard. Mata created more chances last season but that was largely due to Mkhitaryan's poor start when he was adapting to the league and his new team. By the end of the season both players were performing at an equal level. So far this season Mkhitaryan has outperformed him.
A lot of your post is just subjectively claiming that Mata can do something which Mkhitaryan can't when there is zero evidence to support that. E.g. you complain about Mkhitaryan taking more touches to control that ball when of the two of them it is Mata's inability to use his right foot which frequently harms our build-up while Mkhitaryan is comfortable receiving and passing the ball with his weaker left.
It's fine to like Mata as a player but to pretend that there is nothing that Mkhitaryan does better than him is just nonsense and the stats prove it in multiple categories.
That's quite unfair to Blind and Valencia. The opposition doesn't allow them space because they will do nothing but because statistically speaking more goals are scored in the centre. So it makes sense to defend and pack the middle given that is your best defensive bet and also because goals from crosses are naturally a Low percentage.
The odds of scoring from crosses get even lower when you have Valencia who can't actually get it into the box. He can have 15 yards of space when he receives the ball yet still take long enough to put in the cross that it'll find a way to cannon off the defenders shins.
Pretty much answered directly under your post.
There's one more thing I would like to add though. I think having a 'natural' wider player like Rashord/Martial means the middle is less congested and we will get to see more of Pogba on the ball.
At the moment, Mata wants the ball to feet in central situations and I won't say this hinder's Pogba's influence but I think without Mata, this will give Pogba more opportunities to play make.
Clearly nobody here watched the Super Cup when Mata didn't play.
We were shite.
We never play attractive fluid football when he's not in the team.
We were shite.
We never play attractive fluid football when he's not in the team.
Wrong! You are forgetting the 10 minutes at the end of a game where our opponents are tired and pushing more men forward to equalise leaving lots of space for counter attacks, this proves Mata needs to be dropped!
Some of the posts here are mind boggling.
Mata enables us to control a game. He is actually perfect winger for an attacking full back as he tucks in leaving space for the overlap. Valencia doesn't take enough advantage of that.
Mata is one of the few players who is on same level as matic or pogba. Or Herrera for that matter. His simple movement and passing makes the team much more fluid and quicker in transition than micki could ever do.
Mata enables us to control a game. He is actually perfect winger for an attacking full back as he tucks in leaving space for the overlap. Valencia doesn't take enough advantage of that.
Mata is one of the few players who is on same level as matic or pogba. Or Herrera for that matter. His simple movement and passing makes the team much more fluid and quicker in transition than micki could ever do.
Martial is not comfortable on right wing. Rashford helps our leftback better (Blind or Darmian), while Valencia is Okay keeping width on right wing by himself.
Some people call it 'balance'.
It's likewise fine to like Mkhitaryan but to pretend there's nothing Mata does better is also nonsense.
Stoke 2:2 Man Utd
Should have been allowed to take the freekick he won, it was the perfect position for him.
I knew we wouldn't win when we didn't start him.
Just like we didn't win against Real Madrid.
Juan Mata is the player that makes the team tick. We don't play the free flowing attractive fluid football we've all been raving about the past month, without Juan Mata in the Team.
I wish more people would notice this. Sure he came on in the last 20 mins or so but it was too late.
Just like we didn't win against Real Madrid.
Juan Mata is the player that makes the team tick. We don't play the free flowing attractive fluid football we've all been raving about the past month, without Juan Mata in the Team.
I wish more people would notice this. Sure he came on in the last 20 mins or so but it was too late.
Mata is underrated.
He has one of the most developed football brains in world football.
I said it before, he has been like the brain box of the team this season.
He should be the first name on the team sheet for me.
Agree; we looked a completely different team since he came on
Very good cameo, looked so composed.
Can't understand him being dropped. He makes up for the lack of width with his composure and quality.
THIS! Boggles my mind that he doesn't take more of them. I'd be fine with just him and Pogba rotating between the two of themselves depending on the angle. feck Lukaku, Matic, Blind, Herrera etc who want to take it. Mata and Pogba are our best threats IMO.
Rashford should get a shot too. Pogba for all his ability hasn't scored a single free kick for us whereas Rashford has.
If a team is sitting deep and you want to break them down, then Mata is the perfect answer for that. No idea why we didn't go with the same team as our first three games.
I remember Pogba hitting the bar/post once or twice. Completely blanked on Rashford though, good point.
Man Utd 3:0 Basel
Serious question - do we really need this guy starting for us?
This must be the longest he's gone without getting a goal / assist for us.
Serious question - were we better without him on Saturday?
Hmm Tough one.
Pros-
Off the ball movement is arguably best in the league
Technically our best player arguable
Arguably our most clinical finisher
Most creative player in our side or 2nd most creative
Good passing ability
possibly one of our better crossers
Cons-
Slow and weak-
Going by FIFA logic it's a no brainer
he's not in great form but it will return
feels like he's keeping that spot warm for Antoinne
feels like he's keeping that spot warm for Antoinne
Why do people keep saying he is creative?
What are they watching or rather who are they watching to call him creative?
What are they watching or rather who are they watching to call him creative?
This often tends to come up every time he has a dry patch or a series of uninspiring performances. He'll still a very handy player to have who's got good technical ability and tends to be productive. Nothing wrong with him starting.
Watching the highlights of his time at Chelsea maybe. He has not been that creative force for Utd, has the odd moment of magic but is generally far too safe with the ball. This might sound odd but I do not trust so-called creative players who maintain as high a passing% as he does, to me at least it suggests an unwillingness to take the risks needed.
He is a brilliant finisher and a fine continuity player but this should be his last season at Utd. Need to find someone more explosive on that right side.
One could easily be forgiven for forgetting he was playing today
Would rather him at #10 than Mkhi.
Someone should tell him the season has started.
The brain of our attack. It's easy to look at him and imagine he's doing nothing but he's the main reason we're so efficient in moving the ball and rotating it continuously without losing possession. All our other attacking players are just using pace to keep running, no one is standing on the ball to control the tempo and organize the attack. Mata is our brain and the one who does this job.
He's one of the slowest players I've ever seen. He really shouldn't be playing out wide.
We are a better team every time he plays - even when he has one of his "softer" days. Today he was very good in the 1st half, but faded a little in the 2nd half, but even then, when he went off, we are not capable of keeping position in the same way as we are when he still was on the pitch.
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