Using Mata effectively

Aboutreika18

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Where does the Caf' think we should use him in our team?

At Valencia, he started off drifting inside from the flank, while Silva was there, IIRC. After Silva left, he was used behind the striker, which is where he was also used at Chelsea after AvB left, as well as being shifted to the right wing to accomodate Oscar.

He's clearly a very versatile player but where does he fit in best in our side, going on the premise we'll continue utilising a 4-2-3-1? The possibility of Rooney leaving in the summer may factor into this.
 
Van Persie up top. Mata and Januzaj either side of Rooney behind the striker.
 
If we're paying £37m for him I would play him where ever he wants to, I think it will be behind RVP when he's fit.
 
In his first season at Valencia he was played as a second striker up top with Villa, when Morientes didnt play. From his 2nd season all the way till his final season Mata was used on the left and occasionally right of a 4-2-3-1 and thats where he made a big name for himself. In his final season at Valencia he played in the hole. For that one season. Chelsea used him in the hole too.

I suspect we'll have every intention of him playing in the hole but he definitely can play from wide and has done so to excellent effect for Valencia which first caught the interest of Inter as the initial big club to be trying to sign him and also got him playing for the national team.
 
Must admit it's a worry that Moyes won't know what to do with him.

However, Rooney, Januzaj and Mata have great football brains and are clever enough to work out a formation themselves behind RVP in a 4-2-3-1. But we MUST start to pass the ball in central areas and not shit ourselves. No more hoofing the fecking thing from the back. And no more shite, brainless wingers producing soul destroying football. We need to start playing modern football otherwise it's pointless signing Mata.
 
To get the absolute best out of him then its centrally behind the striker - the same as for most of these players.
 
I doubt he will play Mata and Januzaj on the wings.

Defensively we would be caught out far too much.
 
I'd say feck the 1 no. 10 behind the striker system and play with 3 central attacking midfielders that roam out wide when there's the need to do so with all 3 having a free role. Fullbacks are enough to provide width and crosses anyway. We've got Evra and Rafael who are both very attacking minded players.
 
Get rid of the flat formations and do a proper 4-2-3-1, like Madrid have, with the wider attacking mids not being chosen because their defensive work. Mata and Januzaj are equally capable of playing anywhere along the 3 in that case, not as proper wingers but as wider attacking mids. There's a difference, sort of like how City use Silva and Nasri out wide. Rooney in the middle as an attacking midfielder and then Van Persie up front, and then just slot in Kagawa/Nani when one of them gets injured. Sell Valencia because him on the pitch forces everyone to be a lot more static I think because he has no versatility at all, other then sticking on the right flank.

A thing that's great with Mata I think is that even though we all want to change style's, Mata still has a great cross on him because lets face it, even if we do change style's to a more fluid style, crossing and wide play will always be a feature for us, we just don't want it to be the only thing. Can't wait to see him in our shirt :drool:
 
I think he can play out wide, without having to be a winger. I'd hope we start to adapt to a 4-2-3-1, with an attacking midfielder just behind the striker, and two attackers flanking him. We can bring wingers on as plan B, but playing the ball out wide has been our only plan this season and we've been rubbish. I think Mata - Januzaj - Rooney all operating behind RVP is too droolworthy to not try out. And of course Shinji (and Nani to a lesser extent) can easily slot in there too.

edit/ I think I'm trying to say the same thing as most of the posters above me, great minds etc.
 
Kill 'em all said:
I'd say feck the 1 no. 10 behind the striker system and play with 3 central attacking midfielders that roam out wide when there's the need to do so with all 3 having a free role.
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Aye, there certainly is the potential to play something like that. Very few teams do play with that freedom though and it would be a big departure from our current approach
 
I suspect if Mata and Januzaj end up being the wide options we use week to week it means Jones as first choice, full time, central midfielder or we sign a really, really defensive minded midfielder to play there instead of Jones
 
I don't see Moyes being adventurous enough to play three of Rooney, Mata, Januzaj or Kagawa together behind a main striker.

We'll definitely still be seeing Valencia or Young crop up in the starting XIs.

At least we won't be as over reliant on young Januzaj for creativity any more.
 
Ekeke said:
I suspect if Mata and Januzaj end up being the wide options we use week to week it means Jones as first choice, full time, central midfielder or we sign a really, really defensive minded midfielder to play there instead of Jones
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Yep, we'l need a very solid middle 2 for that to work.
 
Or we could also do a similar system to how Chelsea use their attacking mids? Don't see why not really. Rooney works as hard as anyone and they could all mix around. The only difference would be that we have Van Persie instead of Torres/Eto'o/Ba :lol:
 
Theon said:
Aye, there certainly is the potential to play something like that. Very few teams do play with that freedom though and it would be a big departure from our current approach
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The system we're using isn't working, might as well try new things and experiment and who knows, it could provide results. Better than keeping the current mentality of shifting the ball out wide only to put in blind crosses.
 
Ekeke said:
I suspect if Mata and Januzaj end up being the wide options we use week to week it means Jones as first choice, full time, central midfielder or we sign a really, really defensive minded midfielder to play there instead of Jones
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Fellaini + Jones playing together, with more defensive duties. Let the guys up front worry about creating chances and scoring.
 
bosnian_red said:
Get rid of the flat formations and do a proper 4-2-3-1, like Madrid have, with the wider attacking mids not being chosen because their defensive work. Mata and Januzaj are equally capable of playing anywhere along the 3 in that case, not as proper wingers but as wider attacking mids. There's a difference, sort of like how City use Silva and Nasri out wide. Rooney in the middle as an attacking midfielder and then Van Persie up front, and then just slot in Kagawa/Nani when one of them gets injured. Sell Valencia because him on the pitch forces everyone to be a lot more static I think because he has no versatility at all, other then sticking on the right flank.

A thing that's great with Mata I think is that even though we all want to change style's, Mata still has a great cross on him because lets face it, even if we do change style's to a more fluid style, crossing and wide play will always be a feature for us, we just don't want it to be the only thing. Can't wait to see him in our shirt :drool:
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We should use the City model for how to play Mata, Silva is a similar player and he plays from the right wing with no problems. Though they also sometimes play a natural winger in Navas on the other side.

And it pains me to say it but with RVP's injury problems, there's going to be plenty of opportunity for Mata to play centrally behind Rooney.
 
Aboutreika18 said:
I don't see Moyes being adventurous enough to play three of Rooney, Mata, Januzaj or Kagawa together behind a main striker.

We'll definitely still be seeing Valencia or Young crop up in the starting XIs.

At least we won't be as over reliant on young Januzaj for creativity any more.
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I doubt we'll be seeing Kagawa that much but I can't see him not playing the others. Van Persie and Rooney will always play when fit, same with Mata, and then Januzaj is our most in form player and has been our second best player this season after Rooney. I can't see Moyes not starting him either. Valencia and young will still play occasionally of course but nowhere near as much as before IMO.
 
Mata's a genius. He can play anywhere in attacking positions. He's proved that many times across his career.
 
bosnian_red said:
Or we could also do a similar system to how Chelsea use their attacking mids? Don't see why not really. Rooney works as hard as anyone and they could all mix around. The only difference would be that we have Van Persie instead of Torres/Eto'o/Ba :lol:
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For one because Chelsea didnt feel Mata could be used in that system and they have more solid defensive options in central midfield to make up for the more creative players. Perhaps we now go out and buy the new Makelele to make it work...
 
George Owen said:
Fellaini + Jones playing together, with more defensive duties. Let the guys up front worry about creating chances and scoring.
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Say goodbye to the ball if Fellaini and Jones are the midfielders.
 
bosnian_red said:
Or we could also do a similar system to how Chelsea use their attacking mids? Don't see why not really. Rooney works as hard as anyone and they could all mix around. The only difference would be that we have Van Persie instead of Torres/Eto'o/Ba :lol:
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Aye but playing on the wing in that system didn't get the best out of Mata.

To get the best out him he needed to be the number 10, as we in saw the last two seasons.
 
pocco said:
Oh come on. Unless you think we all know more about football than Moyes, who has studied the game for years, then that's a ludicrous statement.

As long as he's in the attacking unit, he'll be effective.
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Well considering the archaic, straight line football we've been playing this season forgive me for having doubts.
 
adamwest said:
Love em, but they've had their day. Subs at best I hope. We need a stronger base.
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Totally agree but until we have some others in the squad we shall be using them.
Shane88 said:
No Wunderkind?
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Wunderkind? As in Januzaj? He will still get plenty of game time and mightily so. I'd still like to see us give him a rest, he's had to play an awful lot of football already.
 
Ole's_toe_poke said:
I doubt he will play Mata and Januzaj on the wings.

Defensively we would be caught out far too much.
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Play with a lone striker, Januzaj on the right, Mata on the left and beefen up the midfield with Carrick-Fellaini-Jones.
 
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