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Lately, Juan Mata has been earning huge accolades following two impressive showings against Tottenham and Liverpool. A feeling the Spanish midfielder have had very few of since his initial two years in England with Chelsea.
Since Jose Mourinho’s arrival in the Premier League two years back, one name which seems to have gone missing from the list is that of Juan Mata’s. The little Spaniard has largely been inconspicuous after he got sidelined at Chelsea in 2013-14.
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A £37 million move to Manchester United followed, but the Spaniard never regained his fleet-footed creative niche that earned him Chelsea’s player of the year award in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Under Louis van Gaal, Mata seems to have been experiencing déjà vu – playing under a similar hard-handed pragmatist philosophy to Mourinho’s.
With all his troubles and more, Mata still is one of the most creative midfielders in the Premier League since his arrival in England in 2011 and the little man has the stats to prove it.
The Premier League has no shortage of creative midfielders. With the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Eden Hazard, Steven Gerrard -- all plying their trade in the English top flight, EPL viewers are spoilt for choice.
When compared with the big names, Mata’s record stands out. The brace against Liverpool last Sunday only solidifies Mata’s claim as the most successful midfielder in terms of goals scored and created in the Premier League since 2011.
Mata has contributed 65 goals with 31 goals and 34 assists since 2011. Playing for Chelsea, Mata contributed 18 goals and 27 assists in 82 league appearances while playing for the Red Devils, Mata has netted 13 times and set up his team-mates seven times in 40 Premier League matches.
