Matic is NOT the same player as Mata - they play in completely different positions Saleh is NOT the same player as Mata - he is a pure winger and Mata plays best in the hole... Mata has been poor this season - it's best for him and Chelsea if he moves on. It's the right thing to do on a human level and I'm pleased the club has publicly stated this. We sign a lot of young players and aim to make a profit, this is our philosophy, self-funding Our style of play is also devastating Counter Attack with pace and power... C'mon as a Chelsea fan you must know this? Mata and KdB could never be describes as pacey or powerful?
I will really miss him, he is a fantastic player but having time to think about it Jose could be spot on with this. In the last 15 years or so, the frenetic pace of the Premier League has seen the most successful teams play with pace, power and directness. (I think of United who have always used wingers, Arsenal with Overmars and then Henry, us with Robben and Duff and now City) Teams that have played a more possession based style have not really enjoyed success. Arsenal are the best example of this in the last decade and we have been very similar over the last couple of seasons. When it comes off, the football looks superb, but it's perhaps no coincidence we've also been very inconsistent in recent seasons and struggled to challenge. I think Jose understands the style required for success in the Premier League and as a result is building a new, younger team to suit. Mata doesn't fit this (nor De Bruyne) compared to the likes of Willian and Hazard. It will actually be interesting to see how United fit Mata into their team. To get the output we have from him, he must be the central figure in the team. So with that in mind when he, RVP and Rooney are all fit, how does Moyes utilise them. Mata's acquisition for United may actually cause more questions than answers. I think if the same situation arose at Inter Milan, Jose would have incorporated Mata and built the team around him, similar to Sneijder. In a league where the pace is much slower and more tactical for unlocking a defence.
