Juan Mata | 2013/14 Performances

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"He was important for me arriving here". This is why we cannot sign German players...

Edit - It all fits now... We bought Bebe because he could speak Portuguese! We will use him as a luring technique.
 
Very easy to say all the right things in your first interview but he is just one of those guys who seems really genuine. No more so than the letter to Chelsea fans. Usually they say thanks for everything and all the best but you can tell that he is extremely grateful for everything and everyone at Chelsea. He hasn't come out and tried to win us fans over by expressing a life long love for United, he has just been extremely professional and respectful to both sides.

He has already won the fans over but I'm sure his performances will double that and he will soon develop strong feelings for United as he did with Chelsea.

I honestly can't find a bad word about this guy.
 
#07 said:
That's not what he says.


Yeah, I was gonna point that out. Key thing however is that he says it doesn't matter, he can play well anywhere in attacking midfield.

In England we get overly hung up on this stuff about positions. Ozil played behind the striker for Madrid mostly sometimes wide and is playing wide mostly for Arsenal. Silva can play behind the striker but operates mostly from the left drifting inside. Mata has the technical ability to do just the same and be decisive so long as we give him the ball and support him with passing options.
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Absolutely spot on. The football manager generation gets overly hung up on positioning of these kind of players. Ozil plays wide on a regular basis, Hazard, Nasri, Silva and Willian too, despite the fact they are all essentially number 10s. Some players are gifted enough to operate anywhere in the attacking third and do a similar job.
 
That interview by David Moyes. Was maybe not my favorite for the job, but I have backed him since we hired him. After seeing that, I think we might have a manager that will win us things for years and years to come and keep United, United.

The history of Sir Matt and Sir Alex and the traditions they have created is passed on and I think Moyes will carry it forward as it should. Not many managers would be able to do that, you have to be a certain type of manager/person. Well, SAF knows best I guess.
 
Iniesta > Ozil > Mata > Silva > Hazard for the best 10s IMO. Obviously Cazorla, Isco, Gotze, Kagawa et all all birlliant but don't make the top 5 cut.
 
mufcwarm92 said:
Absolutely spot on. The football manager generation gets overly hung up on positioning of these kind of players. Ozil plays wide on a regular basis, Hazard, Nasri, Silva and Willian too, despite the fact they are all essentially number 10s. Some players are gifted enough to operate anywhere in the attacking third and do a similar job.
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It has nothing to do With a "football manager generation". It's just that this is a fairly new breed of footballers, especially for the PL. In the 11/12 season he was voted player of the year for Chelsea and then he player mostly on the left. He will certainly play out wide for us and it will give us a player that can both create, score and most important hold the ball and make us play. Other than that little point, I think you guys are spot on. Happy times ahead.
 
A great day, I think it may have just surpassed my wedding day in December. :-)

Chelsea are nothing short of mental selling him, let alone selling him to us. If I was a Chelski fan I would be furious.
 
I would like to see him line up on the right ahead of Valencia. That 3 behind the striker need mobility and we have attacking fullbacks, so the further they drift in, the more people we can get involved in the attack as it will provide more chances for the fullbacks to get to the line rather than cross it from deep.
 
Giggsforever said:
That interview by David Moyes. Was maybe not my favorite for the job, but I have backed him since we hired him. After seeing that, I think we might have a manager that will win us things for years and years to come and keep United, United.

The history of Sir Matt and Sir Alex and the traditions they have created is passed on and I think Moyes will carry it forward as it should. Not many managers would be able to do that, you have to be a certain type of manager/person. Well, SAF knows best I guess.
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A bit too early to suggest that seeing as we are lingering 7th in table and out of both of the domestic competitions. It's good to see him show the attitude and desire to put us back in the top bracket of clubs and it does come with conviction, but that still doesn't gloss over a poor season so far.

He's got a way to go before I will personally feel confident about him succeeding here and I'm sure I speak on behalf of a lot of United fans when I say that, but it is a progressive sign and step in the right direction. I'm sure he has an idea of the style he wants to implement at United and I don't think Mata is by any means a panic buy in that respect, even with it looking likely that Rooney will stay and with van Persie also.

He's come across as too defeatist and 'nice' in too many interviews, so what he's come out and said does make me feel more at ease.

I have admittedly not watched the interview, but I get the general idea from the transcript...
 
mufcwarm92 said:
Iniesta > Ozil > Mata > Silva > Hazard for the best 10s IMO. Obviously Cazorla, Isco, Gotze, Kagawa et all all birlliant but don't make the top 5 cut.
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You wouldnt exactly call Hazard a #10. He is more of a left winger. Not that he cant play behind the striker but I think he is more effective on the wing. Isco is already on Silva's level and will only be a matter of time before he overtakes him.
 
My favourite part:

Moyes- "I have been impressed with the excitement he has shown to be part of the new Manchester United. I know our fans have admired Juan for some time now – he has always played well against us – and I know they will be delighted to see him in the red of United, starting on Tuesday."
 
ISSYNAZAR said:
My favourite part:

Moyes- "I have been impressed with the excitement he has shown to be part of the new Manchester United. I know our fans have admired Juan for some time now – he has always played well against us – and I know they will be delighted to see him in the red of United, starting on Tuesday."
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Can read that two ways.
 
mufcwarm92 said:
Absolutely spot on. The football manager generation gets overly hung up on positioning of these kind of players. Ozil plays wide on a regular basis, Hazard, Nasri, Silva and Willian too, despite the fact they are all essentially number 10s. Some players are gifted enough to operate anywhere in the attacking third and do a similar job.
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It's more a matter of clubs implementing a style that allows them to play expressive and fluid football opposed to players having to play in their 'ideal position' in my opinion.

If you have a team that play rigid and laboured football - like us for example - it wouldn't allow a flair player playing wide to flourish nearly as well than it would in an expressive and fluid system at another club like Manchester City or Arsenal for example. Silva and to a lesser extent, Kagawa are an example of that.

Mata's an incredibly technically gifted player with plenty of intelligence, so I don't see much of a problem with him playing wide. I would take a while for him to play at his absolute optimum until in our style, until we amend our problems in my opinion, but he would still improve our off-the-ball movement tenfold, enhance the more technical players around him and just generally instill confidence and belief in our team as a whole.
 
ISSYNAZAR said:
My favourite part:

Moyes- "I have been impressed with the excitement he has shown to be part of the new Manchester United. I know our fans have admired Juan for some time now – he has always played well against us – and I know they will be delighted to see him in the red of United, starting on Tuesday."
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fecking hell is that what he said? If so you've missed the most important thing, where he says 'the NEW Manchester United'. Is he trying to distance himself what he wants to do from what he inherited? Sounds like it to me, in which case I personally strongly approve, though I'm not sure everyone will.
 
Hernandez might make the great runs but as good as Mata is, he can't control the ball for Hernandez too.
 
The Don said:
Here, it isnt good quality, but better than nothing. You'll need to turn your volume up a good bit:

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Cheers for that, great from Mata but also from Moyes. Glad to hear he should be involved on Tuesday.
 
Glanville95 said:
A bit too early to suggest that seeing as we are lingering 7th in table and out of both of the domestic competitions. It's good to see him show the attitude and desire to put us back in the top bracket of clubs and it does come with conviction, but that still doesn't gloss over a poor season so far.

He's got a way to go before I will personally feel confident about him succeeding here and I'm sure I speak on behalf of a lot of United fans when I say that, but it is a progressive sign and step in the right direction. I'm sure he has an idea of the style he wants to implement at United and I don't think Mata is by any means a panic buy in that respect, even with it looking likely that Rooney will stay and with van Persie also.

He's come across as too defeatist and 'nice' in too many interviews, so what he's come out and said does make me feel more at ease.

I have admittedly not watched the interview, but I get the general idea from the transcript...
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I agree, but he was handed a squad with a lot of work to be done. Some player are in decline bacause of their age and others are just not good enough. He also struggled to find a formation and had to get to know the players. I think he was maybe suprised to see that not all the players he had was as good as he thought.

Next season will show. Then there is no excuses, but I for one is very optimistic about the future.
 
Mata needs to be registered by Monday if he is to play on Tuesday so of course we will know the shirt number by then. Howard is such an idiot. :(
 
That tweet is like saying Mata will not feature for Chelsea again this season. What is the point in saying it?
 
Giggsforever said:
I agree, but he was handed a squad with a lot of work to be done. Some player are in decline bacause of their age and others are just not good enough. He also struggled to find a formation and had to get to know the players. I think he was maybe suprised to see that not all the players he had was as good as he thought.

Next season will show. Then there is no excuses, but I for one is very optimistic about the future.
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The squad he inherited simply isn't good enough to contest for the title and Sir Alex extracted more from that team than any manager possibly could, but it's still inexcusable for a club to go from champions of England one season to 7th in the table the next.

He needs time to create his own side and sacking him at the beginning of the year when there are no viable managers available would be lunacy, but he has to prove he is also capable of managing this club. I think as a club we can be far too lenient and if we finish 7th and Moyes is still in charge I won't be pleased.

In saying that, I don't believe we will. With the quartet of van Persie, Rooney, Mata and Januzaj hopefully fit and firing for the rest of the season I feel quietly confident we can still come 4th, even if our midfield is beyond shit.
 
712 said:
fecking hell is that what he said? If so you've missed the most important thing, where he says 'the NEW Manchester United'. Is he trying to distance himself what he wants to do from what he inherited? Sounds like it to me, in which case I personally strongly approve, though I'm not sure everyone will.
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I thought the same when I read it and fair play to him. He's got designs on what he wants to do and that can only be good.

The core of Ferguson's team isn't something he can build on for the long term. Vidic and Ferdinand are both past it, Carrick will be there soon although he has a lot more to offer, Giggs is surely in his last season (his 7th straight last season), Van Persie only has a season or two left, you'd imagine. Evra is fading fast. Then there is the players that just are not good enough. Young and Valencia are severely lacking in quality and Cleverley has stalled.


There are however a lot of positives in this squad. The core of young players is excellent. We've got enough to build on and with a few world class additions, that we really do look like we are going to make, I believe we'll be challenging for the league next year and challenging for Europe will follow.
 
It's good to see that this 'value in the market' thing can be trumped by the old 'if you don't ask, you don't get' thing.
 
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