Tanvir Juneja
2. Juan Mata is not Manchester United’s leader, he is a better player for United.
Captains are men who would stand tall and drag their teams out of difficult moments. They provided security on the field and reassurance to those in the away end. In an important competition match against fierce rivals Liverpool, Van Gaal decided to hand him over the captain’s armband is the absurdest thing I’ve seen all week. So what if Rooney couldn’t be out there, there were far too many healthier alternatives Louis! You could’ve started Schweini and let him led the team at a hostile atmosphere in Anfield.
So imagine, then, what the feelings must have been when United fans saw Juan Mata standing at the front of the line, waiting to swap pennants. This being Juan Mata, who was sent off at West Brom on Sunday. Some reward for a moment of stupidity.
Mata might be a nice player and have experience but a Manchester United skipper? He was barely involved and never looked like balancing his team when they were under pressure. One of many curious decisions by Louis Van Gaal. The man with the armband was weak and so was his team. He performs exponentially better as a free-kick taker and occasionally now, a midfielder.
