Bharath Rammr
Many expected that Juan Mata’s time at Manchester United come to a screeching halt after Jose Mourinho was appointed as the new manager of Manchester United. Mourinho was the manager who got rid of Mata when he was at Chelsea even at the time when the Spaniard was widely acclaimed as one of the best players at the club. Well, the Portuguese has been criticised of frequently working in such a way to insult the player.
After having been crowned as the Chelsea Player of the Season for two consecutive campaigns, Mata found himself constantly on the sidelines under Mourinho. Even when he was selected, Mourinho often hauled him off much earlier than usual claiming that his work rate isn’t the best in the team. There was going to be only one winner in this epic battle and it was the manager, Jose Mourinho. A similar battle is now expected at Old Trafford, as Mourinho straightaway claimed that every player would have to fight for his position in the squad.
One of the biggest criticisms from Mourinho about Mata was the supposed lack of work rate and that is when the term “Luxury Player” came into existence. Inevitably, there will be a repeat of the same especially given that the Spaniard has contributed only one goal this season from four league appearances. As one of the best crossers in the game, Mata’s presence is of primary importance if United do want to get the best out of Ibrahimovic on all occasions. At the moment, Wayne Rooney has been used as a source of ammunition for Ibrahimovic, but United would be far better off employing Rooney in a similar position as well.
Following three games without a win now, Mourinho is likely to go into a rethink. This may see the return of Mata with a vengeance and the Spaniard is best when he has something to prove. The former Chelsea and Valencia man has averaged 89% passing accuracy, which is only bettered by Marouane Fellaini, yes, we are surprised as well. Furthermore, it was Mata who opened the scoring of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United era. Well, he isn’t the Hazard or Willian for the manager, but his creativity and vision is something that could lift the side up.
He certainly needs to work on his consistency as his form has deteriorated heavily, but given the form in which the players like Rooney, Mkhitaryan, Depay and even Martial are in, Mata is a far more advanced option. Like mentioned before, his passes can actually open the doors for Ibrahimovic and the Swede beast could yet again be incarnated.
The only trouble for him may be the lack of a convincing performance against Feyenoord in the Europa League. Mata was taken off after 63 minutes along with the likes of Memphis Depay that night and was then dropped on the bench against Watford. Since Mourinho is not the manager who rotates often, it remains to be seen if Mata’s golden opportunity may have gone.
Mata made only one key pass and had no shots on target in the loss against Feyenoord. He was also dispossessed off the ball once in the game. The 28-year-old, though, is at his devastating best when he is playing as a central attacking midfielder, but Mourinho has so far used him in a wide role.
