Juan Mata at Manchester United: An analysis

Juan Mata

With the transfer window fast shutting, and little business done in terms of marquee signings, David Moyes and his Manchester United backroom staff might be forgiven for being a bit hot under the collar.

Repeated failed bids for some stellar talent aside, United have been found short a world class player in central midfield for a couple of seasons now. Seeing how so many of United’s bids have been for Spanish players to fill that gap, here’s a look at one of the less touted names who by no means is less classy a player.

Initially mentioned as part of a cash plus swap deal for Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata has repeatedly been linked with a move to Old Trafford in slightly less glamorous sections of the media; overshadowed by a flurry of other big-name transfers. It is indicative of the no nonsense manner in which the bearded star goes about his business on the pitch as well, with his talent carving out a caveat for him. With a lack of creativity being the bane of United, particularly in European competitions, Mata is actually a perfect antidote to all the hullabaloo over all publicly failed transfer attempts.

He has arguably been Chelsea‘s best player since arriving at the club, with the numbers backing him up. Last season, in the Premier League alone, Mata scored and assisted a dozen goals each, which makes him, at least statistically, superior to Wayne Rooney. The English star, who suffered a couple of knocks and missed a few games, managed the same number of goals but two fewer assists. It is trivial really, to compare the two stars, when instead one could be talking about the combined effect they could have.

Both are fantastic passers of the ball, with long range passing being a strength, and while Rooney can put the ball in the back of the net with a fair amount of regularity in open play, it seems to be something which comes naturally to Mata from free-kicks. The amount of free-kicks that United have scored from has reduced considerably since the departure of Ronaldo. So even with Rooney, Robin van Persie, Giggs and the like available on set-piece duty, those delightful curlers of Mata would add a cutting edge.

It is understandably surprising that RvP’s name is mentioned this late in an article about Manchester United, given his now indispensable stature at the club. This has to do with the fact that Mata’s style and position of play allow him to build a chemistry with Rooney much more easily than with van Persie. In fact, if not for the inexplicable blind eye being turned towards Shinji Kagawa by Moyes, this article would be centred around a 3-pronged attack of Kagawa-Rooney-Mata supporting the lone man up front.

Kagawa, who would perhaps be secretly happy if Mata remains in London, has built his reputation on finding little gaps in the opposition and almost always picking the correct pass. Mata, who seems capable of donning virtually every role in the attacking midfield region, is also someone who thrives on quick-passing in the opposing third of the pitch. The little one-twos in tight situations which have become a rare sight for United fans of late might indeed make a famous comeback.

Another particular talent that Mata has is that of ‘dinking’ the ball over the opposition defence with pinpoint precision. From a running or standing position, from a wide or central area, from close in or far out, Mata seems capable of finding a teammate’s head with scary accuracy. Now, one can only imagine a defender’s horror if he sees Mata and Kagawa passing the ball in front of him while he tries to figure in his head how to stop the imposing figures of Chicharito, Rooney and RvP.

All this, of course, is fancy talk. With Jose Mourinho back in charge of Chelsea, and them seeming strong contenders for the title, the chances of Mata moving to United seem especially slim. However, if he does, now or in the near future, expect magic.