Silent Treatment: How Jose Mourinho forced Juan Mata out of Chelsea

Juan Mata

Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has claimed that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho didn’t speak to Juan Mata and that was why he had to leave the club.

It’s a bold statement, but can be seen to be quite true given the circumstances and the public atmosphere between the two.

Mata has been left out in the cold all too often this season, featuring in just 13 Premier League matches in total. It’s a stark contrast to his first two seasons at the club where he was the main creative threat from midfield. He won the club’s Player of the Season award in both of his first two seasons and won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup.

It shocked many to see the treatment of Mata from Mourinho but he himself has admitted that he needed to sell the Spaniard to raise funds.

“Spoilt for choice in midfield, Mourinho set about isolating Mata by not calling him into the squad, by leaving him on the bench, or substituting him fairly early on in a game,” wrote Balague in The Telegraph.

“At no point did Mata ask for a move as he set about trying to establish himself back into the first team. The club will not blame the manager – raising money by selling players was one of the conditions he agreed to when he signed for Chelsea.”

He added: “Mourinho did not explain to Mata why he was leaving him out. When I interviewed him recently Mata told me: “Some managers will speak to you when you’re playing but they won’t speak with you when you’re not. I just try to keep myself going the same no matter what, because as a professional you have to be ready for every situation, and whether he’s speaking to you or not, you should never let that affect the level of your performance.