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2020-21 Performances


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5.9 Season Average Rating
Appearances
18
Goals
3
Assists
3
Yellow cards
0
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Heardy

Full Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
8,851
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Looking for the answers...
Needs to be managed as his legs can’t handle 90 mins every game/week.

Technically one of our best players though and some of his link up play is still a class above half the team.

Chuffed for him.
 

MiracleInMadrid

Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
780
Has been saying it for a long time. He must play against in matches we expect to dominate on the ball. Plays and thinks twice as fast as most of the rest of the squad. We aren't going to break down teams on the regular with players taking 3 and 4 touches almost every time and everywhere on the pitch.

Mata knows witch option he has before he recieves the ball. So rare to see in our team nowadays.
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
13,966
Probably his best game for around 5 years. I don't expect him to keep it up though.
 

DoomSlayer

New Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2019
Messages
4,875
Location
Bulgaria
Can't believe how great Mata has been, should be an automatic starter at this rate. We played some beautiful football with him and Bruno. :drool:
 

acnumber9

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
22,253
He was outstanding tonight. Really enjoyed watching him play. He still has it.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
13,127
Supports
Erik ten Hag
Beautiful performance and that’s what happen when you have creativity other than Bruno, it gives you so much balance in attack rather than just having front three of goalscorer which the point why Ole wanted Sancho.
 

Devil77

Full Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
1,483
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
No surprise really. People are too rash to judge him when he is played with the second string. Give him some intelligent players around him and he will shine.
 
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Wednesday at Stoke

Full Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
21,629
Location
Copenhagen
Supports
Time Travel
Been the most consistent player so far this season. Hope he has a nice Indian summer at the club as he winds down.
 

Dec9003

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
8,922
He should always play against teams that are happy for us to have the ball like Newcastle. I think he’s a bit underrated in general for us, really good player.
 

el3mel

Full Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Messages
43,735
Location
Egypt
Some of his link up play with Bruno though ! Brilliant. Both have good footballing brain and definitely linked up much better than anything I have seen with Bruno-Pogba link (regardless of the results).
 

Irrational.

Full Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
32,823
Location
LVG's notebook
Was awesome today, some of his one-touch football and link-up play was sensational. He links up well with our other midfielders too, really rolled back the years.
 

horsechoker

The Caf's Roy Keane.
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
51,381
Location
The stable
Not sure if the Bruno comparisons are warranted, Mata has played at a higher level for longer and won more than Bruno but they are different stages of their career. Mata's been out of form while Bruno has established himself.

It's an apples and oranges comparison even if they play similar positions.
 

Bobcat

Full Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
6,365
Location
Behind the curtains, leering at the neighbors
MOTM by a mile. His legs might be gone, but his footballing intelligence is almost second to none. Always seems to be in the right place and always seems to know where everyone else is, Could have had 3 assist tonight, That one touch pass to Rashford was pure sex
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
11,420
Location
Manchester
One of my favourite players of the last decade. Horribly misused for the majority of his United career, technically fantastic. I wish we would have given him the 10 position from 2014 instead of shifting him to the wing to accommodate Rooney.

Man of the match every game he’s played this season. Baller.
 

#07

makes new threads with tweets in the OP
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
23,258

I honestly thought Mata was finished six months ago. Fair play to him for rolling back the years.
 

Livvie

Executive Manager being kept sane only by her madn
Scout
Joined
Jun 5, 2000
Messages
41,716
Some of his link up play with Bruno though ! Brilliant. Both have good footballing brain and definitely linked up much better than anything I have seen with Bruno-Pogba link (regardless of the results).
It was like that pre lockdown
 

Snow

Somewhere down the lane, a licky boom boom down
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
Messages
33,229
Location
Lousy Smarch weather
Seems like Ole is the only one that has understood Mata as a player. Moyes was rigid. LvG didn't allow creative freedom. Mourinho set player into a specific system so under all three Mata was a limited player often chucked on the right where his strengths wasn't utilized. He's got slightly better players around him now.
 

Livvie

Executive Manager being kept sane only by her madn
Scout
Joined
Jun 5, 2000
Messages
41,716
Not sure if the Bruno comparisons are warranted, Mata has played at a higher level for longer and won more than Bruno but they are different stages of their career. Mata's been out of form while Bruno has established himself.

It's an apples and oranges comparison even if they play similar positions.
He wasnt out of form as much as not being picked
 

anant

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
Joined
Feb 28, 2015
Messages
8,258
Easily the MOTM for me. If he keeps this form up, Ole is going to have a right headache as to who to drop to accomodate him
 

kundalini

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
5,750
I was surprised by how good Mata was. Didn't expect him to be so prominent in an away game.
 

Dudu

Full Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2012
Messages
4,943
What a performance. :drool:

So many of you lot didn't even think he deserved to be a squad player..
 

Bwuk

Full Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
17,281
He’s the smartest player in the side. Always looks far better when surrounded by players like VdB, Bruno etc, people who can play the way he wants too
 

Isotope

Ten Years a Cafite
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
23,554
Excellent, excellent game. Reminds me of his time at Chelsea under Benitez.
 

anant

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
Joined
Feb 28, 2015
Messages
8,258
He’s the smartest player in the side. Always looks far better when surrounded by players like VdB, Bruno etc, people who can play the way he wants too
Exactly. Play him with technically good players and he'll drop a 7/10 or higher every week. Play him with Lingard and Ighalo, and you'd see him drop a 4/10
 
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Devil81

Full Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2014
Messages
6,646
Would love to see him more often with Fernandes, they really do link up well.

Sad thing is he's practically finished but he's craved a player like Bruno and Donny his whole time at United.
 

meamth

New Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
5,946
Location
Malaysia
Seems like Ole is the only one that has understood Mata as a player. Moyes was rigid. LvG didn't allow creative freedom. Mourinho set player into a specific system so under all three Mata was a limited player often chucked on the right where his strengths wasn't utilized. He's got slightly better players around him now.
...and yet, no coaching debate still on.

Seriously.
 
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