The 3M company: Mata, Moyes and Manchester United

Manchester United unveil new signing Juan Mata

A footballer who just wanted to play, a manager under severe pressure and a club looking to avoid a crisis of confidence; the confluence of those three prevailing situations at two of England’s biggest football clubs led to the defending Premier League champions, Manchester United, breaking their transfer record to sign Spanish playmaker Juan Mata from rivals Chelsea. Not forgetting, of course, that United had cash to splash to put one and one together and get ‘Juan’.

The move, completed on Monday with the Spaniard’s unveiling at Carrington holding up the No.8 shirt, caused a welcome, albeit unexpected, groundswell of emotion amongst United fans, pained for most part of the season with the team’s rather disappointing performances on the field following the departure of their beloved manager of 26 years. For it picked up pace quite suddenly, with a few days of rumour-mongering ultimately leading to a frenzy of activity around the 21st of January with news being bandied about by reporters left, right and centre. And before you knew it, ‘Mata’ was the buzzword on most United fans’ lips, with a nice, warm glimmer emanating from within their souls, offering hope, that perhaps the mechanic to fix the season’s mess had finally arrived.

Mata

The slightly-built Spaniard though wasn’t always on speed dial. It took a debilitating half-a-season under the new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, for Mata to finally look away from Stamford Bridge as a possible course of action. From the heights of being the Player of the Year at the club for two seasons running, ever since his arrival, to being consigned to the benches, it was a drop that the Spaniard could not have possibly envisioned.

Juan Mata arrives at Manchester United training ground ahead of medical

Despite all the noise that accompanied Mourinho’s return over how ‘flair’ players such as Mata might find life difficult under the Portuguese manager’s rather pragmatic style of play, Chelsea fans and the player himself would not have sensed immediate consequences, safe in the knowledge of his achievements and quite brilliant stats.

For this was Mata, a man who had been a riveting success from the moment he stepped foot on English soil, a man who had UEFA Champions League and Europa League winner’s medals to his name, a man who had cornered FA Cup glory. When Didier Drogba rose, ever so majestically at the Allianz Arena, to head in Chelsea’s equalizer against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final of 2012, it was Mata who delivered that ball in from the corner kick. In the 2013 Europa League final against Benfica, it was Mata again with the corner kick that led to Branislav Ivanovic’s late, late winner.

To say that the man’s stats are impressive, would be an understatement. Mata, in his first season in England, recorded 573 passes, creating 66 chances, that led to 14 assists in the league, second only to Manchester City’s David Silva. In all, he has created 227 chances in his two-and-a-half seasons in England, being equally adept at creating from open-play (55.5% of assists and 69% of total chances) as well as set-pieces.

United and their manager have got themselves a player of the highest calibre, but is he the player with the same amount of confidence?

Some pundits and journos alike have categorized this sale by Chelsea as a disposal of broken goods. Claims have run rife that he is no longer the player that he once was and that Chelsea have emerged the better from the deal by not only getting rid of a player not part of their plans, but also collecting a hefty compensation for it.

Make no mistake, Mourinho and Chelsea broke Mata by putting him out in the cold. He could well take time to settle down at his new club, but for a player of Mata’s ability, with a burning desire to be a large part of the action out on the field, it should not be long before he displays those levels of confidence that once flowed through his veins, circa Mourinho’s second coming.

To boot, Mata has done justice to the term ‘professional’, having conducted himself in an exemplary manner through the darkest of days and not once has spoken out against Mourinho and the club. As a matter of fact, he penned a rather emotional goodbye to the Chelsea fans on his departure, a rarity indeed. United are not just getting an accomplished player, they are getting a thorough professional at that.

On the evidence of it, the deal represents a perfect fit – a club struggling for attacking impetus buying a proven attacker who has been starved of regular playing time. Till you consider the fact, that it needs the right kind of coaching, as the last six months of Mata’s career strongly illustrate.

Moyes

Dull, staid, passive and lacking imagination are just some of the terms that have been hurled at the feet of David Moyes in his time as Manchester United manager. From elation, fuelled by the most sincerest faith in Sir Alex Ferguson’s choice of successor, to dejection leading to questioning the legendary manager’s pick, United fans have been a scarred lot.

David Moyes at a Manchester United training session

The first six months under Moyes have been difficult, considering the vast amount of success the club enjoyed under his predecessor. But as much as the magnanimity of the change was projected, for everyone associated with the club the depth of it is being understood only now. Changing 26 years of history doesn’t happen in one fell swoop, it takes time, especially if you have chosen the way United have.

Having said that, Ferguson’s public assurance of the squad being in good shape for the incoming manager to take over, was merely that, an assurance. The amount of spadework left for Moyes was humongous. Not only was the squad in need of a revamp, but it was also about managing the alpha-male star players in the dressing room, and that’s one area where Moyes absolutely got no change from the senior players in the first few months.

But, more than the struggles, its the manner of the struggles that has got fans of the club and the watching public disconcerted. The traditional strong points that United wore on their chest – a winning attitude, a supreme sense of self-confidence and an ability to fight it out even when over-matched on the field, seem to have gone away with Ferguson’s departure, neatly tucked inside his trenchcoat. So signing Mata is not just about signing a really good player, its about infusing some much needed positivity around the club.

Moyes’s penchant for hardwork and grit and his ability in bringing through youngsters are unquestionable. Over the years, he has done a fine job in both those departments managing Everton, and Preston before that. And he must be given credit for having the courage to back young Adnan Januzaj this season. The real question that everybody out there has is, can he manage the thoroughbreds, like Mata, like Robin van Persie, and like some of the future transfer targets mentioned by the press.

Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck are two players who seem to have found a groove under Moyes, but they do not exactly fit into the same mould as Mata and van Persie, not for want of class, but for the sheer industriousness that accompanies their performances.

After the debacle in the summer transfer window, praise must be lent to Moyes for the way he handled the Mata transfer. His gregariousness in getting the deal done once he came to know of the opportunity must be commended. Unlike in the summer, him and Ed Woodward moved swiftly to take advantage of the situation before other suitors could throw their hat in the ring

A lot hinges on this Mata transfer for Moyes. If, as he says, it is a forebearer of things to come for United, it is indeed a welcome sign; for United would no longer look as toothless as they have so far this season while also, on a higher level, being indicative of the fact that Moyes is ready to cut down on the conservative approach and go in for a more attacking one, one that has come to be synonymous with Old Trafford over the years. He hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory with some of his selections until now, but how he treats Mata and how he plays him, will be important from the perspective of players of similar ilk wanting to work under him as their manager.

Moyes was until now the little boy with the wrong marbles; he’s now got a brand new, shiny one to use and he needs to ensure he strikes it rich while also managing to make good use of the ones he currently has.

And in so doing, ensure a revival in fortunes for his club.

Manchester United

It seems almost a distant memory now, but Manchester United were the Premier League champions last season, and they did do it at somewhat of a canter thanks to a marquee signing the previous summer that gave everyone present at the club a huge fillip.

Change in management, not just the manager but also the Chief Executive, has led to indifferent form in the first half of the season, with January being especially disastrous, as United have exited two Cup competitions in quick time, struggling to cope with the losses of the two big names at Old Trafford in Ferguson and David Gill.

United players Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Javier Hernandez look on during a game against West Bromwich Albion

United are seventh in the table and though well and truly out of the title race barring a major slip-up from their rivals, the quest for the Champions League spots is very much still on; only six points separate teams fourth to seventh, with Liverpool currently occupying that last spot in 4th.

The signing of Mata is to some a ‘desperate signing’ by a club clutching at straws, clueless in how to get out of its current predicament; it may be, but it sure is one heck of a desperate signing. And what it does provide is an opportunity for the club to rectify the mishaps of time gone by and resuscitate the club’s flagging Premier League campaign.

As the player’s availability met the club’s need, it made for a win-win situation for all parties involved. Not forgetting Mourinho’s willingness to let go the club’s once best player to a direct rival, and suddenly United have a new deck of cards to play with to try and change the game. Apart from the obvious impact to be had on the pitch, the signing also will serve to resonate United’s ability and, more importantly, interest to compete for the signatures of some of the best players in the game, thereby reinforcing itself as a sought-after destination for other talented footballers.

One signing cannot single-handedly drastically change the fortunes of a struggling club, but what he can do is have enough of an influence rubbing off on the other players that would cause them to raise their levels of play. It happened with Eric Cantona, it happened with Robin van Persie, it could well happen with Juan Mata.

More than the results, this process that Mata, Moyes and Manchester United have undertaken should serve to restore something more intangible that has been eroded over the last few months – faith – a component that seemingly the club’s fans never ran out of in the past, but one that got desperately short as the games went by this term.

Coincidentally, for player, manager and club, this move is a chance to salvage what was looking like a lost season, with an idea to kick on and move forward come next season. For fans of the club and the game alike, there is expectancy in the air that this 3M company can lead to a fourth ‘M’ on the field – Magic.