Juan Mata came to Manchester United as a statement signing: David Moyes had paid a club record 37 million pounds for him back then. However, ever since his arrival, the Spaniard has always flattered to deceive: he is good in a handful of games, like the ones against Liverpool and Manchester City last season, anonymous in most of them. Although he always had a penchant for scoring goals at Chelsea and that trend has continued even at United, yet those have been few and far between. One must also note that the former Valencia playmaker has been used out of position more often than not, so that was somewhat of a hindrance as well.
Performance this season:
Mata started off the season poorly and fared below par in most of the games barring the occasional excellent display. He lacks pace but makes up for that with his skill and vision, however, Louis van Gaal refused to play him down the centre and rather shifted him to the wings. Of late, however, Rooney’s injury has given the man a chance to play in his favourite no. 10 role, and he has blossomed in it over the last 3-4 matches. Against Watford last night, wherein he captained the team, scored the winning goal, created
3 chances, completed 53 passes, had 94% pass accuracy and took 4 shots.
This season Mata has made 28 appearances in the English Barclays Premier League. He has also featured in the Europa league twice. According to Squawka, Mata, in the English Barclays Premier League, has scored five goals this season, creating 40 chances and three assists. Mata completed 1150 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 89%, of which 55% were forward passes. Boosting a shot accuracy of 55%, his average pass length was 16m and average duels won is 38%.
Fan’s Opinion:
Fans love Juan Mata for his commitment and passion towards the club, and the sport. He is always there to take a pass, and his first touch is like poetry in motion. However, stats matter too, and fans don’t normally consider that. However, the Spanish international has shown his true colours of late, and one hopes this will be the moment when he takes centre stage. He was all over the pitch last night and passed and defended with equal vigour. Let’s wait for him to excel!
