Mata

isn't it Oink

So Redtomatoes, who are these players who do what he does, only much better and more easily.

Who will (stats again ) create and score as many as he does.

comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 12 minutes ago
So Redtomatoes, who are these players who do what he does, only much better and more easily.

Who will (stats again ) create and score as many as he does.
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Like I said, considering the fact that we really have not tried anything else, we can say what we would look like with a half decent wide man there.

I am not using stats to decieve what my eyes see. Do you see a world class wide man you would struggle for when you watch him? A wide man who cannot beat his man or do much when a team sets out to really defend. At the moment all he does is dink in crosses and if a defender forgets him sneaks behind makes good use of it. Come against a decent team and this is nullified easily.

Mata is one of those spanish players that they seems to be many of them, only thing is he has been lucky to be with big teams that can make him look good. As soon as he is in the spanish national team, he cannot pay to get a game. You looking for a half decent replacement for mata? Pick any of the wide forwards he is warming the bench with for his national team.

I do not doubt he has certain abilities but as I stated earlier, I can see us replacing him easily. An injury to him and it will shock how much he will not be missed. Lets not overrate him for just being an ever present in a good team. Look at our goal scoring charts, Rooney has 5 goals!!! Highest goalscorer on the team! and hes been sheet. Memphis has 4!!! just as bad. But we have a good team, a good system that provided we do not play a focused team will lead to stats being accumulated by players in attacking position. The question is what does your eye see? Would an inform wide man on any other team offer better than what we are getting from the same players? We have evolved past the point where we can only fall back to stats to defend our points. Anything can be backed with the right stats.

I actually agree with using your eyes rather than stats,and posted a sarcy piece about stats a while ago.
But we are obviously seeing different things, I acknowledge his lack of pave and inability to beat a man. But I do see clever positioning, shrewd passing, cool finishing, and not slinging in too many high balls when we have no one to finish them All in all a class act.

Mata's all round game has improved this season.

That said, his stats are not the issue at all. Ruud always had fantastic stats but that doesn't mean it was wrong to drop him for Saha. I can understand the argument that he can't be dropped because he produces results but then so did Ruud!

The point is you have to look at the overall team dynamic and there is no doubt whatsoever that our play often looks lopsided. Mata is given more or less a free role when we have possession which means we are totally reliant on Darmian or Valencia to create width and stretch the opposition.

Fans say they want to see more direct football. Fans say they want to see more wing play. Fans don't want to see us pass the ball sideways all the time...etc.

Surely having no attacking player on the right side (who actually more or less stays there) to create width and get behind the full back is one of the reasons for these problems that the fans want to see fixed?

Mata is one of our best players without question but he is also one of the reasons our play is not as fast or direct as the fans would like.

His individual stats are always impressive but they tell you nothing whatsoever about how his style benefits or affects the team's style of play.

I'm on the fence with him at the moment. I can see why LVG is determined to accommodate him but I can also see why the so-called "best manager in the world" was happy to let him go.

Smart post.

I often wonder what people are watching or whether they just don't understand the game at all. That or it is just plain, good old-fashioned prejudice on the part of some people.

Mata has been, along with Rooney, the joint MVP for two seasons now. And he is on his way to doing the same gain this year.

Yet all I read is numbskulls telling the world that Herrera is this and that, when he is just about average in the EPL midfielder stakes.

The only problem I see that the club has with him at the moment is playing him out of position virtually all the time. But he is not alone in that respect. Rooney and Depay are also constantly played out of position (and Blind as well of course, but most people seem to acknowledge that).

I get that LvG is Dutch and they 'invented' "total football" - a ridiculous concept if ever I heard one - and I get the idea that good footballers can play virtually anywhere (Barthez playing as a winger a notable exception).

That is precisely why Rooney has gotten away with playing out of position for most of his career. It is remarkable that he has got so close to matching his fellow natural attacking midfielder, Sir Robert, into the record books for both club and country whilst playing in the wrong position.

Mata is the same. Put him in central midfield and watch the firework display. I would especially like to see Mata/Schwein/Rooney between two proper wingers with a natural striker/centre forward in front of them.

In fact I would go so far to say that that would be such scary midfield that they could get away with playing behind 2 front men and in front of just three CBs

Rooney and Depay are also constantly played out of position
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Eh? I am so sick of hearing this. No matter where Rooney is played, he is out of position. No. 9? No he is a number 10. No. 10? No he is a number 9....Nobody even seems to be able to agree/decide on what his best position is - least of all himself.

And in what way is Memphis being played out of position? He is a left sided midfielder and that is where he plays every week.

Mata is the same. Put him in central midfield and watch the firework display.
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I don't necessarily disagree but he HAS been played centrally this season and was awful - his worst game of the season (and we lost).

comment by redmisty (U7556)
posted 23 minutes ago
Mata is the same. Put him in central midfield and watch the firework display.
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I don't necessarily disagree but he HAS been played centrally this season and was awful - his worst game of the season (and we lost).


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redmisty, you realise you are responding to the specimen known as 'IamMe', right?

Haha, I didn't even look to see who I was responding to!