🇪🇸 Juan Mata

[Dion 2,476]

Its the fucking pressure that club is putting on our key player again. Thats why Mata isnt playing well enough. He is ordered to fucking play Messi esque or he will get benched and that is killing him i guess. Same happened to our strikers ala Torres, Etoo, Ba, Sturridge, Lukaku so far. Give them complete support, freedom and 5 games in a row and he will show you how good he is.

Also where has the Juan love gone dear fans??? As soon he is not playing that good, everyone forgets him and sees only how to use him as bench player, even sell him for biggest money. If he has no starting spot till end of this year, I hope he leaves because he deserves to play regular. Then, like most players we let go, he will be destroying opponents in other league or even in PL in worst scenario. Juan Mata.

I think he still has a lot of fans. I am still a huge fan of Mata and I'm hoping he can find form and return to the team as soon as possible. It's hard to defend him as a starter with the way he has been playing, though.

[Tomo 21,751]

Its the fucking pressure that club is putting on our key player again. Thats why Mata isnt playing well enough. He is ordered to fucking play Messi esque or he will get benched and that is killing him i guess. Same happened to our strikers ala Torres, Etoo, Ba, Sturridge, Lukaku so far. Give them complete support, freedom and 5 games in a row and he will show you how good he is.

Also where has the Juan love gone dear fans??? As soon he is not playing that good, everyone forgets him and sees only how to use him as bench player, even sell him for biggest money. If he has no starting spot till end of this year, I hope he leaves because he deserves to play regular. Then, like most players we let go, he will be destroying opponents in other league or even in PL in worst scenario. Juan Mata.

lol what? that's what playing at the top level is all about, their is constant pressure for anyone, to suggest that's why he isn't playing well enough is laughable, Messi is going to be under the biggest pressure of his career at the world cup next year, if he doesn't light up atleast 1, there is always going to be that question mark when comparing him to the greatest players ever (rightly or wrongly). Will that be an excuse if he doesn't perform again at a world cup? no.

We have a strong squad now and our players need to fight to play, Mata isn't going to be excempt from that because he was our best player when we finished 6th and scrapped 3rd.

Where's our love gone? it hasn't, just because we aren't whinging every time he doesn't start and creating Jose out posters doesn't mean shit. We love Mata, but we love the club more.

[Barbara 15,149]

Its the fucking pressure that club is putting on our key player again. Thats why Mata isnt playing well enough. He is ordered to fucking play Messi esque or he will get benched and that is killing him i guess. Same happened to our strikers ala Torres, Etoo, Ba, Sturridge, Lukaku so far. Give them complete support, freedom and 5 games in a row and he will show you how good he is.

Also where has the Juan love gone dear fans??? As soon he is not playing that good, everyone forgets him and sees only how to use him as bench player, even sell him for biggest money. If he has no starting spot till end of this year, I hope he leaves because he deserves to play regular. Then, like most players we let go, he will be destroying opponents in other league or even in PL in worst scenario. Juan Mata.

actually I feel the opposite happened. He was asked to play like a mere mortal - which is what he is btw - instead of being the Messi to our team. I really can't make up my mind around people comparing whoever to Cris and Messi because they're totally a league of their own, and there are only the two of them in said league. Who else scores, assists and wins as many matches for their sides that can come close to Cris or Messi? No one does. So the problem is wanting to play an amazing guy - but who's still a mere mortal compared to Messi - in a Messi role, expecting a Messi result. That's not what Mourinho's doing. That's what Rafa Benitez did and I think it's fair enough to say the results weren't Messi-esque were they? We didn't become Barça, did we? Because if anything the matches against Bayern last year showed that without Messi, Barça is only a very good team, though nothing exceptional. This season again they struggle a bit - even against sides such as Málaga - to get the things done like they're done when he's there to do them.

So 'the problem' is that Mourinho arrived and he obviously knows he doesn't have a Cristiano Ronaldo at his disposal anymore, so he demanded all his players - not only Mata - to work their tits off for the team because we don't have a player that is up to the level of Ronaldo and Messi so we can build a team around them and say 'screw their work-rate'. It's not a problem, it's being realistic and becoming more competitive.

Now if Mata can only perform as well as he did last season when the team is built around him, he will a problem here and everywhere he goes because while he's genial, a maestro and arguably the most creative player in activity (for some people here anyway), his finishing isn't anywhere as clinical as required for him to leave Chelsea and become the player that a top level team will build around. He's more of one of the biggest contributors than the guy that will win matches when everything else fails, especially because even if he assists, he will still depend on whoever received the ball to actually score.

I do believe though that teams with strikers that have clinical finishing such as van Persie or Lewa could make Mata produce much more than we do, but I don't believe ManU or Dortmund would build their teams around Mata... their teams would continue to be built around RvP and Lewandowski, except their main contributor for their main man would be Mata and that would make them all much more deadly (not that ManU has been anywhere near deadly this season, but still)

[Rmpr 8,977]

So he demanded all his players - not only Mata - to work their tits off for the team

[blu35_army 551]

form is temporary but class is permanent. so,,why we must scare...

[yuvala 2,167]

Why does every Mata related post have to go with something about Oscar ?

Both are amazing, both will get their chances, both will come good for us.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Just a vid of how good Juan is to all those who already jumped on Oscars bandwagon. Kid is good, but not near Mata. Juan is a victim of Mou defensive tactics, he playd superbly under three different managers and is probably our most creative player along Lamps in last decade.

Its ridiculous that fans simply not value our players if they dont perform well and jump on bandwagon as soon they do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwTEV0-F2zU

[Korea 734]

Just a vid of how good Juan is to all those who already jumped on Oscars bandwagon. Kid is good, but not near Mata. Juan is a victim of Mou defensive tactics, he playd superbly under three different managers and is probably our most creative player along Lamps in last decade.

Its ridiculous that fans simply not value our players if they dont perform well and jump on bandwagon as soon they do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwTEV0-F2zU

This is how I know you don't know what creativity means....

Lampard =Creativity, NO. But than again, you probably think Hulk is creative

[BlueLyon 9,359]

This is how I know you don't know what creativity means....

Lampard =Creativity, NO. But than again, you probably think Hulk is creative

I guess you dont remember Lampard from couple of years ago...probably you dont follow Chelsea for a long time eh? Lampard was our driving force for ages, providing huge role in most of our attacks during years, there are different types of creative players, maybe Lamps aint Pirlo or Xavi, but to say he isnt/wasnt creative is a crime.

P.S.: and what has Hulk to do anything here?!

[Korea 734]

I guess you dont remember Lampard from couple of years ago...probably you dont follow Chelsea for a long time eh? Lampard was our driving force for ages, providing huge role in most of our attacks during years, there are different types of creative players, maybe Lamps aint Pirlo or Xavi, but to say he isnt/wasnt creative is a crime.

P.S.: and what has Hulk to do anything here?!

Being creative and getting assists are two different things.....

I Guess Cristiano ronaldo and Ashely Young are creative as a passer too.

[Tomo 21,751]

Just a vid of how good Juan is to all those who already jumped on Oscars bandwagon. Kid is good, but not near Mata. Juan is a victim of Mou defensive tactics, he playd superbly under three different managers and is probably our most creative player along Lamps in last decade.

Its ridiculous that fans simply not value our players if they dont perform well and jump on bandwagon as soon they do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwTEV0-F2zU

This isn't an attack on you, but it seems we can't like one player without supposedly not liking another. its like that with Schurrle and De Bruyne now it's the same with Mata and Oscar, it's getting ridiculous.

[Jase 43,479]

This isn't an attack on you, but it seems we can't like one player without supposedly not liking another. its like that with Schurrle and De Bruyne now it's the same with Mata and Oscar, it's getting ridiculous.

And Mikel + Lampard, Azpilicueta + Ivanovic, Torres + Eto'o and the list goes on.....

But that's not to say those who prefer one over the other are exactly wrong..

[Korea 734]

And Mikel + Lampard, Azpilicueta + Ivanovic, Torres + Eto'o and the list goes on.....

This is what happens when the board plays fifa and buys too many players...

Can you imagine next season when the other loanees come back in addition to a signing or 2 in the winter/summer...

It's going to keep occuring if the board keeps stockpiling "assets."

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Being creative and getting assists are two different things.....

I Guess Cristiano ronaldo and Ashely Young are creative as a passer too.

Once they get 100 assists in PL, I can easy say they are creative. To make soo many assists, you need vision and that is part of creativity.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

This isn't an attack on you, but it seems we can't like one player without supposedly not liking another. its like that with Schurrle and De Bruyne now it's the same with Mata and Oscar, it's getting ridiculous.

Its ok, but its often that people forget that we actualy have top players already. Should Mata thing go on, we will sell him and he will shine at other club (much like Ozil case; but real isnt doing better without him). And then we all will be pissed same like with Sturridge,...

[Korea 734]

Once they get 100 assists in PL, I can easy say they are creative. To make soo many assists, you need vision and that is part of creativity.

Or you could just have corner kick/free kick duties...

[Barbara 15,149]

I have to agree... saying Mata is our most creative player along with Lampard detracts from Mata more than compliments him imo. It's a laughable statement, sorry. Lamps is a lot of things, and I love him. Creative isn't what I'd associate with him at all.

As for @Tomo's comment, I get what he means. It seems around here now if I say I love Eto'o it automatically means I hate Torres, if I say I love Schürrle, it means I'm taking a jab on Kevin. The Mata x Oscar thing I blame on that stupid article and the subsequent discussion - that at some points reminded more a of a war between two rivals clubs rather than two players fighting for the same position. Ever since then it's hard to have a discussion about Mata that doesn't involve Oscar and a discussion about Oscar that doesn't involve Mata.

I pointed out problems I had with a team built around Mata because of the liabilities it offers but it was simply because I was defending Mourinho's choice to demand from Mata the same he demands from everyone else. I had little to do with Oscar, although it does a bit, as Oscar offers a completely different package that meets Mourinho's demands better - which still allows both to be in the team btw, after all they were both at the team last season.

That said, it doesn't diminish Mata... he just has to adapt, and he's adapting. Currently the problem I have with Juan is not about what's Mourinho is demanding from him, but why he's been struggling so much to play a high level match for us - attacking and creatively wise. His finishing against Cardiff was dreadful, he's yet to be as creative (effectively) as he was last season and if someone says that's because of his commitment with defensive responsibilities I have two things to say: 1) Hazard and Schürrle then should have the same issue and they don't; 2) then it's a limitation to Mata as a player because Ozil, Iniesta, Isco, Ribery, Rooney and the list goes on and on and on all can execute their defensive tasks without detracting their offensive contributions. If they're good pressing, tackling, intercepting it's another story, because at least they're committed to try. Learning how to defend isn't easy because it requires many things such as good read, good vision, timing, precision, etc... but all those guys accept their responsibilities with the team and the tactics regardless of how good or bad they're defending. Bottom line is accepting their responsibilities defending didn't stop them from continuing to do their thing attacking. All that said, I don't think it's his defensive obligations that are preventing him from shining offensively (although they're not helping his case either and may be collaborating a little bit, but I don't see them as the main reason)

I still think we overplayed him last season, that the injury in the pre-season wasn't the only consequence of it. There may be some longer lasting effects and consequently he may take a while to be really 100% fit. Which is all more reason for us not to overload him again. his body may still be feeling the after effects of going years with reduced vacation, playing nearly every fixture for his club and combining that with a few NT matches. It's also common in high level sports that when the body doesn't answer as it used to, that an athlete also develops confidence issues on minor or major scales.

The same way I've been waiting for Hazard to gain form, and he has now had, I'll be waiting for Mata. I just wish we knew exactly what's holding him back as all we can do is theorize.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Or you could just have corner kick/free kick duties...

He created over 400 goal chances since 2008, more than any other player in PL. I guess we had a lot of corner kicks and free kicks then

[Korea 734]

He created over 400 goal chances since 2008, more than any other player in PL. I guess we had a lot of corner kicks and free kicks then

Sry brah, Lampard aint creative...

It is what it is...

[The Skipper 20,609]

Creatively, SFL isn't bad, he can see that pass now and again... But it isn't one of his main qualities. Above average I'd say he is when it comes to his creativity.