Juan Mata | Match Discussion thread 2020/21

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sideshow Bob

Avatar & New Members Forum Mod
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
42,894
Match discussion thread for discussing Juan Mata's performances.
 
Carabao Cup: Brighton & Hove Albion 0-3 Manchester United - 30th September 2020

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Man of the Match can’t really add much more than that.

Won and took the free kick to setup the first goal and took his goal well to kill the tie.
 
You can still see he has supreme quality and nights like tonight are perfect for him to show his experience and class.

Would prefer to see him get minutes over the likes of James or Lingard in the league.
 
16 assists/goals in his last 18 games
 
Does this mean you all dont want him chased out of the club at the earliest opportunity any more?
 
He plays against reserve teams and Europa league teams so yeah he can obviously still rip it up vs them he's a lovely player to watch when he's given space and not pressed.

19 league appearances last season 0 goals and I'm not a big fan of the assist stat.

He's up to 50 goals for the club now in 250 odd games so 1 in 5 which is ok for an attacking playmaker.

I still maintain Utd should have let him go on a free in 2019 and replaced him with a suitable player we've now signed Bruno and VDB who will start ahead of him as the 10 and we are looking to buy upgrades in wide areas too.
 
Does this mean you all dont want him chased out of the club at the earliest opportunity any more?

Is this in reply to me? I've never wanted him out. I've been an advocate of keeping him as an ambassador or a coach.

@jsp I don't think any of us expect to see him start in the prem. Just saying, it's a good record
 
So we're paying a guy £7-8m a year to play 5-10 cup games and chuck in the odd sub appearance?

I'm a huge Mata fan think he's a great player but I think it's a bit silly that he's still at the club at this point.
 
I was asking everyone. Many have been slagging him off and calling for him to be got out of the club, I couldnt remember which ones on here.
Now suddenly he is a lovely little player. Hypocrisy at its best.
 
I think everyone loves Mata. Just his legs are completely gone and the pace of the premier league games can see him bypassed.

I’d definitely keep him on as background staff when he’s retired. He’s got a lot of good feeling within the game with his 1% foundation.
 
I’d let Mata leave. I would prefer the likes of Mejbri given an opportunity in his place.
 
I’d let Mata leave. I would prefer the likes of Mejbri given an opportunity in his place.
Totally disagree with the notion of Mata leaving. We still need his experience and class in the cup games. While his legs have gone I am happy to have him here in a squad role.

Too early for Mejbri I think. He needs this year in the U23’s to refine his game.
 
He looked ok I guess, took his goal well but as Bob says, he hasn't offered much over the last 12/24 months at all. He is generally anonymous is games.

I don't think it helps at all that the poor sod keeps getting played wide knowing he has no legs which i just don't understand. We have never really given him a good run at no.10 where he should be, especially now with no pace whatsoever. Playing him out wide is just pointless.
 
Thing is you put Mata in when you could in theory be giving an academy player a chance in these competitions.

He's still your squad player only takes 1 or 2 injuries before he's starting in that line of 3 behind the striker and from what we see when he is put up against the premier league first team players is he can't cut it.

He's never going to be the number 10 he's 3rd or 4th choice in that spot so his games will come from that wide spot where he's done pretty well but I always go back to him being a stupid buy in the first place under Moyes as he just didn't fit in the team. Back then it was Rooney in his spot so why did we buy a £40m backup to our top earner and club captain?
 
How often has Mata displayed class in recent years?
I think many times in the cup competitions. You can always rely on him to pop up with a goal or an assist - like last night.

Like has been said in the league nope he’s probably not going to be as effective but it’s a squad game and I think he has his place. The next cabs off the rank from the youth team are Mejbri and Elanga but maybe a little too raw so for me Mata is needed.
 
Mengi and laird are the 2 that we should be looking to give game time to. I am particularly worried about mengi who as things stand is getting no football at all. Early in the season I know but he really can't train every week and never play.
 
Mengi and laird are the 2 that we should be looking to give game time to. I am particularly worried about mengi who as things stand is getting no football at all. Early in the season I know but he really can't train every week and never play.
Oh yeah totally agree about that. And yep I worry that Mengi isn’t going to get any action, games like last night are the nights he needs some minutes. I was baffled why he didn’t play some minutes against Luton. If he isn’t playing U23’s then he’ll spend a year getting no games.

Was referencing the next attacking players off the rank when talking about Mejbri and Elanga.
 
Absolutely agree about the 2 attacking players. Mejbri isn't mature enough yet. Elanga in certain games we could probably use sparingly
 
There were rumblings of him also moving to Lazio before the window shuts which I wouldn't totally rule out if Utd have got deals coming in I still think he's a guy who is a bit of a luxury in this massive squad.
 
If we get a right winger, we might be able to actually use him as a No 10. I think we have wasted his talents just continually shoving him out on right hand side.
 
If we get a right winger, we might be able to actually use him as a No 10. I think we have wasted his talents just continually shoving him out on right hand side.

Number 10 options
Bruno
VDB
Pogba

Just hard seeing Mata getting a sniff in that role when the first team plays.

He played his best football from the right side under LVG not sure he’s been great since then.
 
Just hard seeing Mata getting a sniff in that role when the first team plays.

I don't think he has the legs to be a first team option anymore, I would use him as backup, mainly; possibly throwing him into the mix to help unlock a defence that might be being a bit stubborn.

I would say it's his intelligence on the pitch that is his biggest asset and is worthwhile retaining.

As for the wings. Speed is what we need. Greasy fast speed!
 
I don't think he has the legs to be a first team option anymore, I would use him as backup, mainly; possibly throwing him into the mix to help unlock a defence that might be being a bit stubborn.

I would say it's his intelligence on the pitch that is his biggest asset and is worthwhile retaining.

I appreciate that but he’s on big wages £7-8m a year I just think he’s a very expensive luxury to have around.

We’ve got plenty of depth in the number 10 role and get in proper wingers who can play the position.
 
I appreciate that but he’s on big wages £7-8m a year I just think he’s a very expensive luxury to have around

I think there are plenty of players on big wages who need to go, a lot of whom play less than Mata.

If we are too stacked in No10, and he is too slow as a winger where would you play him?

If there is no place for him, would anyone take him on his current wages at his age?
 
I think there are plenty of players on big wages who need to go, a lot of whom play less than Mata.

If we are too stacked in No10, and he is too slow as a winger where would you play him?

If there is no place for him, would anyone take him on his current wages at his age?

I'd have let him go on a free last summer not sure who of our bench players earns more than him now Sanchez is gone?

I don't think we should be playing him maybe put him on the bench for some home league games in case we're struggling for a breakthrough and domestic cup games. Honestly don't think he'll play more than 10-15 games this season unless we get a lot of injuries.

Not sure what he's got left on that deal but he's one Utd probably have to take no fee on to let him move on and maybe give a bit of a pay off to our only real option is a club from Italy trying to take him.

With Periera gone the first team squad is now 29 players it's way to big so you've got to cut a few bits back and while Mata is a talented player for me he's a luxury that can go.
 
You don't think we should be playing him? wasn't he man of the match, with a goal and an assist?

If I was a young player playing in those games, I'd love to play alongside Mata and learn from him.
 
You don't think we should be playing him? wasn't he man of the match, with a goal and an assist?

If I was a young player playing in those games, I'd love to play alongside Mata and learn from him.

Vs Brighton reserves. It's all got to be put in context. What was the last league game Mata had a big impact on?

Which young players played in this game or the Luton game? Williams is the only one that instantly comes to mind.

Why look up to a guy who in his early 30's has accepted being a bit part player at a club like Utd? Yeah he's done a lot in the game but he's always been a squad player in the big moments apart from the CL win at Chelsea.

Mata is a lovely bloke and a good pro and he's done alright at Utd but as a footballer he's not good enough anymore for where we want to be and Utd should have moved him on by now. He hasn't been a first choice player for either of our last 2 managers.

This was the same guff I used to hear about Ashley Young he's a good guy keep him around no one even noticed when he left and I feel the same would happen with Mata and a few others. This is why our wage bill is crazy, it's why we've got so many players Utd have to stop hoarding players and let them go. Mata should have been told to find his next club 2 years ago.
 
Why are you bringing up league games? no one expect him to start those.

We need a big squad for all our games, he got picked for a mnor game, got motm, scored and assisted. So he still has a role to play. And in those minor games has been responsible in some way for 16 goals in 18 games. He is still proving useful in those smaller games. Helping the younger players. Why bin him because he's over 30. He's only 32 ffs

It's completely differrent to Young, he was a winger playing full back in our first team, of course no one wanted that.
 
Why are you bringing up league games? no one expect him to start those.

We need a big squad for all our games, he got picked for a mnor game, got motm, scored and assisted. So he still has a role to play. And in those minor games has been responsible in some way for 16 goals in 18 games. He is still proving useful in those smaller games. Helping the younger players. Why bin him because he's over 30. He's only 32 ffs

It's completely differrent to Young, he was a winger playing full back in our first team, of course no one wanted that.

Utd are looking at around 50-55 games in all comps this season I don't think Mata is good enough to start in about 45 of those games that's why I bring it up. Last season we had Europa League games Mata is fine for those matches he's good enough to contribute vs those sort of opponents but I don't think he can offer much in the league or champions league this season.

There's less of those minor games this season than last and that is a problem for me so last season there were maybe 15-20 games he could play in this season it will be more like 10-15.

He is 32 but he's getting pushed around and physically he's not got it any more and Utd want to be a quick team that presses the ball and can hit you on counters Mata just isn't a player for that system he needs to be in a team that has the ball almost all the time and he can just float and pick locks.

It was more an overall point Utd don't move players on when it's time to refresh and I think Mata is one of them there time has been and gone. Utd should have a player who can actually play right side of the attack to play these games not just keep sticking Mata out there because I don't think that's helping us move forward.
 
Premier League: Newcastle United 1-4 Manchester United - 17th October 2020

Absolute class act tonight. Him, Bruno and VDB have so much football intelligence between them, need to see more of them together.
 
It's good to have such an intelligent player on the pitch for us.

I think playing more with Bruno and Donny, who are both schemers, will only benefit our attack more as they find thier rhythm.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Login or Register

Forgot your password?
or Log in using
Don't have an account? Register now
Back
Top