Which is why you'd need a powerhouse Cavalho to provide the steel . The real challenge lies in convincing one of Rooney or RVP to play on the left .
Juan Mata | 2013/14 Performances
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The question is guys, who do you have a bigger bromance with, Mata or Dave?
Is Mata the greatest human being on the planet? I would say so.
Hearing him spak for the first time did make me laugh though.
Hearing him spak for the first time did make me laugh though.
Of course; for all the talk about players with pace, it shouldn't be forgotten that the ball can be made to move faster than the man. We definitely transition faster when the likes of Mata and Kagawa find the runs of our forwards.
Notably, we play a lot more sideways football when Rooney plays in the hole - our play becomes more stodgy. It will take a strong manager to tell Rooney that he's playing as a number 9, or not at all.
Potential or quality isn't the most important one in a football. It's about balancing the team. We got Mata, fair enough if we play him as a number 10 role. Fair enough if we spent 37.1 million for him. None doubt his quality. I don't mind with Mata in the team. I'm really happy we signed Mata, a very quality player.
But it won't change my view that 37.1 million is a waste of money in January for a position which don't need to be strengthened. While we have other position which need to be fixed. Mata could still be available in the next summer. And we could signed him in the summer. Not many manager will spend 37.1 million for a number 10 role in January because most of the big team already have that kind of role of player in their team.
It's like why not just sign Neuer if he's available and then bench De Gea. Neuer is currently better than De Gea. He has more experience than De Gea. No!! waste of money for a position which don't need to be strengthened.
If we want to play number 10 role then I prefer to play this team:
Carrick Cabaye
Winger Kagawa Januzaj
Rooney
rather than
Carrick Fellaini
Valencia - Mata - Januzaj
Rooney
It's about balancing the squad.
'Waste of money', still? You think having bought Mata is going to restrict our expenditure in the summer? We're bringing in more than £400mil a year now. Let the money boys worry about whether they can spend the money, and just enjoy that fact that Chelsea let us buy their best player.
Agreed. His pace isn't an issue with other players that will make good runs off the ball. I'd rather have a smart player when countering than a fast one.
Why when Reus is far better than both on the left........Carvalho and Mata..be careful the team your building...most on here want in your face high tempo football..those two are more cultured and thats not their game.
He will be our Scholes of 02/03.
How funny was Hernandez' reaction just after Mata poached his second goal? He couldn't believe someone just took his role 
I absolutely love this guy. I'd love nothing more than for us to build a successful team around him, I just really want him to achieve everything that he would have hoped for when he signed for us.
I'm not sure if it would have shown this on for those that watched on TV, but when Mata put Hernandez away for that 1 on 1 yesterday, which he missed, Mata's reaction was great. No complaints or anything, but instead he applauded with his hands in the air above his head and gestured for the fans to applaud louder and encourage Hernandez. After the game too, he runs straight after Hernandez and puts his arm round him. Top class guy and a top class player.
I'm not sure if it would have shown this on for those that watched on TV, but when Mata put Hernandez away for that 1 on 1 yesterday, which he missed, Mata's reaction was great. No complaints or anything, but instead he applauded with his hands in the air above his head and gestured for the fans to applaud louder and encourage Hernandez. After the game too, he runs straight after Hernandez and puts his arm round him. Top class guy and a top class player.
The best thing is if Mata doesn't score this, Hernandez does. That's what happens when you crowd the box properly with players spread across the penalty area. Vintage United goal.How funny was Hernandez' reaction just after Mata poached his second goal? He couldn't believe someone just took his role
That's what really made me feel positive about the game too. It's one of those rare occasions this season when we've overloaded the box at the right time, with a good ball across the goal at a relatively good height, not lobbed. With players like Mata getting into the box too, it makes us far more threating.
Both of Mata's goals were like that. Encouraging to see.
I find it funny how Oscar's form has gone to shit since Mata left
Very over rated.
He has a squeaky voice. Very disappointed.
Ay, he actually strikes me as captain material. He might not be boisterous, but he leads by example.
5 goals and 4 assists in 12 appearances. Not bad at all. As well as being such a creative spark, he always bagged his fair share of goals at Chelsea. Long may it continue.
Great cameo when he come on yesterday.
Great cameo when he come on yesterday.
I was responding to the poster who said Fabregas and Mata won't make us a great pressing team by saying that Carvalho, if signed, could add the steel behind that duo . Again Reus, in the highly unlikely event of him joining, will be better than Rooney on the left but then we aren't going to dump him are we ? For me we have to remove him from central prominence in our attack but we should also use him in a way that we get to utilise his creativity and goal scoring ability, convincing him to do so without making him ''angry and confused'' . The way I see it is the team is better served when Mata is in the hole, RVP upfront and with Rooney coming in from wide .
Agreed. If we cannot get rid of rooney and I'm sure no incoming manager will risk that transfer then coming in from wide or as a front 3 is the only solution.
This is what makes him so crucial, his ability yo create and score in equal measures will be crucial in our revival, can't believe Chelsea just let him go and to us for that matter .
It was 40 odd million remember.
Right, despite Rooney's inconsistency he is still a credible goal threat and if we could use him in that way I'm sure he will bang in a respectable number of goals to aid our return to where we belong .
It's not a problem when a player is worth the price. Mata is worth every penny at 40m unlike Fellaini.
How funny was Hernandez' reaction just after Mata poached his second goal? He couldn't believe someone just took his role
To be fair to Mata it looked like he was apologising to Hernandez afterwards for that. Mata is fast becoming my favourite player. We have to find a way of making it work with him consistently. Rooney or no Rooney.
I doubt whether Rooney's ego could take it, so might be risky, but what about rotating him and Mata in the hole? Either would seem very dangerous coming on as an impact sub and imagine what teams would think if they saw one or the other coming on. It may also keep Rooney on his toes, rather than feeling he's first on the team sheet because he's Wayne Rooney.
Then he finds a way to make his ego take it because Mata is a better no'10 and Robin is better striker . Rooney has the skill set, in the right setting, to get 15-20 goals/season coming in from wide positions and having Mata behind the striker is the right setting especially if we sort the midfield out .
Next season we need to throw everything we have on the league to make sure that this humiliation is just but a transitionary bleep . We need to have our most dangerous players on the pitch at once, the most creative alongside the most prolific and that is Rooney, Mata and Van Persie on the pitch, at the same time and for every PL match possible until we are back where we belong . If Rooney's ego can't take that then too bad !
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Don't get me wrong, I'm no protector of Wayne's ego! I agree with you. After all, Rooney was never the fulcrum of the team when we had Ronaldo etc. We need to get back, as you say, to having threat from all areas of the park as we used to.
I just thought the rotation thing might work sometimes too, in that they carry slightly different threats from the number 10 position. Worth trying what you say though and we'll see how he responds. I just remember he wasn't that great wide.
How the feck did you come up with a notion like that?
You never really thought Ferguson really trusted a mid table manager to take over the most successful manager in the history of the most successful football club in England did you?
I agree, United need to buy ugly players this summer! and i don't mean we should buy Tevez again. Talk of Fabregas and Kroos would only get in the way of players like Mata/Shinji. What this team needs is a player that can cover the defence and break up play all over the pitch, then simple give the ball to Mata so he can do his best work.
What did Neville say about him yesterday? Someone earlier in the thread implied it was negative, surely not?
Carvalho is hardly an ugly player. He's a defensive midfielder, yes, physically powerful and already looks quite canny, but he's elegant with it too, and a good passer of the ball. Most top defensive midfielders follow that trend these days, there's less room than there used to be for Gattuso types.
You've mischaracterised Kroos there, too. Personally I'd take Fabregas, but I see what you're saying about the potential overlap with Mata and Kagawa's roles. But Kroos is the perfect sort to sit behind those creative AMs, controlling possession and quickly closing down opposition moves.
Yes, my point was more that i'd like United to focus on buying players that will help other players to play better. The team has plenty of silky players but there is a distinct lack of any physicality in the squad, especially considering Vidic is leaving too!
Kroos from what i have seen (very little) likes to dictate play and break up opposition attacks. Which to me sound very much like Carrick! who I personally don't rate very highly, so i accept my opinion on Kross could be misguided.
Ah ok, agree with the first point wholeheartedly.
In some ways, Kroos is quite a lot like Carrick (who I do rate, although I'll grant he's been poor this season). He's got that excellent passing range, elegant style, and cool composure on the ball. But he's a lot of other things which Carrick isn't. He's genuinely authoritative, really forces himself on a game. He's physically robust, and strong in the tackle. He's also very mobile for quite a big player - not nippy and agile like a Modric or Fabregas, but he covers a lot of ground and suits pass and move football as a result. Also, again unlike Carrick, he gets goals from midfield, although don't be fooled (as some are) into thinking that makes him an attacking midfielder - he's definitely a proper CM.
Ideally, I see us pairing a defensively-oriented but still offensively capable type (like Carvalho, from the little I've seen, or maybe Alex Song?) with an offensively-oriented but still defensively capable type like Kroos (who, btw, I reckon there's zero chance of us getting - but someone like him would be great). That way, there's a really solid base on top of which the likes of Mata, Kagawa and Januzaj can work effectively, but we'd also be able to really dominate possession and control games.
My God what a little gem of a player. Never get tired of watching his videos on Youtube, even though its mostly his Chelsea videos. What a player! The one good thing Moyes did was signing this lad.
A square headed genius of a man. Really hope our new manager utilizes him to the best of his ability.
Moyes was wasn't wrong about the goals either, was he? What's that, 5 in his last 4?
He'd been prolific at Chelsea, goals are a part of his game.
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