Juan Mata

[zolayes 14,489]

a thread about Mata neednt become Mata v Oscar .....last year both played together ...it is still early in the season ...I would say

wait a liitle longer before going to war

[didierforever 7,349]

Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Xavi, Ozil, Robben, Ribery, Bale, Van Persie, Rooney, Aguero, Hazard, Neymar, Ibrahimovic, Falcao.

15 without any effort. Mostly attacking players. If you want more I can continue.

hazard? - 22 year old. first season with chelsea -10 goals, 10 assists compared to more than double of mata

falcao?- athletico madrid and monaco player. has barely ever played CL football. barely ever won anything substantial.

neymar? - dont even get me started. what has he done yet to be included in top15.

ozil? - whats the difference between these 2 players. both dont track back, are hopeless defensively, and i would say are at the same level when the creativity is concerned (if anything then mata is better).

so try to name players who are actually better than him rather than just blubbering names. also i would like for u to continue that list and actually name 50 players better than him. wont be a difficult job since u got 15 just out of the top of your head, right?

[meetdoscar 335]

Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Xavi, Ozil, Robben, Ribery, Bale, Van Persie, Rooney, Aguero, Hazard, Neymar, Ibrahimovic, Falcao.

15 without any effort. Mostly attacking players. If you want more I can continue.

Cavani, pedro, schweinsteiger, lahm, pirlo to name a few others randomly

[meetdoscar 335]

I am not sure but i think mata lacks motivation having played so well over the last two seasons and still not cementing his place in spain NT, I think one of the reasons he played so well was to try and cement a spot in spain squad which did not happen and that looks even more difficult with the performance of young players like isco in a club like madrid in spain, This could have affected his motivation as a player as he looks like the patriotic type of player. We know what he is capable of whether as AM or winger/forward but he really hasn't shown enough this season "I'd have to disagree if anyone says otherwise" and on merit he doesn't deserve to start so far. Schurrle is doing ok, hazard is not yet his best but still brings a lot of energy/work rate and defensive awareness to our team, oscar is the best yet but mata brings NOTHING so far and that's disappointing to me as a fan especially as mata is one of the more experienced players who should have stepped up by now.

Further more When mikel plays badly we slaughter him, same with luiz, torres, cole and ramires. Mata is as experienced as most of them so he should also get the stick. His small statue and lovable character doesn't make him a kid and shouldn't demand sympathy either just as the rest of the squad. He is not playing well and he alone is to blame for it so he should get a lot of stick and criticism too just like any other player. It is really quite simple, he plays well he starts he doesn't play well he gets benched.

[nofacej 132]

I am not sure but i think mata lacks motivation having played so well over the last two seasons and still not cementing his place in spain NT, I think one of the reasons he played so well was to try and cement a spot in spain squad which did not happen and that looks even more difficult with the performance of young players like isco in a club like madrid in spain, This could have affected his motivation as a player as he looks like the patriotic type of player. We know what he is capable of whether as AM or winger/forward but he really hasn't shown enough this season "I'd have to disagree if anyone says otherwise" and on merit he doesn't deserve to start so far. Schurrle is doing ok, hazard is not yet his best but still brings a lot of energy/work rate and defensive awareness to our team, oscar is the best yet but mata brings NOTHING so far and that's disappointing to me as a fan especially as mata is one of the more experienced players who should have stepped up by now.

Further more When mikel plays badly we slaughter him, same with luiz, torres, cole and ramires. Mata is as experienced as most of them so he should also get the stick. His small statue and lovable character doesn't make him a kid and shouldn't demand sympathy either just as the rest of the squad. He is not playing well and he alone is to blame for it so he should get a lot of stick and criticism too just like any other player. It is really quite simple, he plays well he starts he doesn't play well he gets benched.

Doesn't make much sense to be honest. Why would Mata lose motivation the season before the World Cup? If anything he should be more motivated if the national team was his driving ambition.

[John1611 77]

Things are looking good for Juan. Jose said in the conference:

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said: "I liked the way Juan Mata played against Swindon. His attitude is very good and his effort was good.''

"When a player makes an effort to come in my direction then I go to him as well. I can imagine from now him working into my way of thinking and I think the natural tendency will for him to be in the team."

The thing I don't like about this though, is that trying to turn Mata into a high work rate defense+attack CAM will hinder his goals and assists, and his overall impact on the team. Especially when it comes to creating chances and making key passes.

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

You said he's not in the Top 50. So, name all those 50 players or more better than him..

LeBron James

[Jase 43,479]

LeBron James

Thank you for the massive input......

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

Thank you for the massive input......

Dude, there aren't 50 players better than an in form Mata...

[Jase 43,479]

Dude, there aren't 50 players better than an in form Mata...

Yeah but then was curious to know which 50 players(or more) are better than Mata since Rom2013 said so..

[Ainsley Harriott 2,732]

Yeah but then was curious to know which 50 players(or more) are better than Mata since Rom2013 said so..

I'm sure he'll give you a 100% correct list...

[Jase 43,479]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/8944414

"I liked the way Juan Mata played against Swindon," said Mourinho. "His attitude is very good and his effort was good.

"When in a player makes an effort to come in my direction then I go to him as well. I can imagine from now him working into my way of thinking and I think the natural tendency will for him to be in the team."

[meetdoscar 335]

Doesn't make much sense to be honest. Why would Mata lose motivation the season before the World Cup? If anything he should be more motivated if the national team was his driving ambition.

If you had the best season of your footballing career and still not a permanent selection in your national team even as a substitute(world cup year or not). How would you feel? That is if you are patriotic anyway.

[Tortilla9 390]

Pat Nevin's post-match analysis of Mata and Torres.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEZ37xg8sw

[diskoviolente 425]

If you had the best season of your footballing career and still not a permanent selection in your national team even as a substitute(world cup year or not). How would you feel? That is if you are patriotic anyway.

i don't quite get that point with the spanish national team. the players starting in midfield for spain is pretty much the monolith of the barca-midfield. i am not surprised that mata can't get in that squad just yet. that, however, doesn't reflect at all about his form for us and in the premier league in which he, apart from Van Persie, has been probably the best player last season. the spain-argument, i think, is coming from the "jose is always right" brigade who just looking for any old argument. (not saying you are one of them, meetdoscar )

[Korea 734]

i don't quite get that point with the spanish national team. the players starting in midfield for spain is pretty much the monolith of the barca-midfield. i am not surprised that mata can't get in that squad just yet. that, however, doesn't reflect at all about his form for us and in the premier league in which he, apart from Van Persie, has been probably the best player last season. the spain-argument, i think, is coming from the "jose is always right" brigade who just looking for any old argument. (not saying you are one of them, meetdoscar )

it's not that he cant surpass the barca trio +alonso, its the fact that Cesc, Silva, Santi and now Isco and maybe Thiago are all ahead of him for the National Team.

Anyways, hopefully Jose can find a resolution to this. However, with a million Ams, this was always going to be a problem for us eventually with playing time, etc.

[bluesman2610 1,352]

Pat Nevin's post-match analysis of Mata and Torres.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEZ37xg8sw

Very good analysis for Pat I saw the same things when I watched the match replay.. I feel a lot of people are being over critical of both players on that performance .. I would love to see them both in the team at the weekend

[Jase 43,479]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/chelsea-outcast-juan-mata-still-2312409

Juan Mata stills feels he is wanted at Stamford Bridge despite being frozen out by Jose Mourinho.

The returning Blues boss, who was worshipped during his first reign, has told Chelsea’s player of the year that he is no longer a guaranteed Premier League starter.

But Mata, 25, knows he has the support of his team-mates and the fans after helping the club win the Champions League and Europa League during his two years in West London.

“People have come up to me in the street and it is nice to feel the people are behind you and supporting you,” said Mata. “I will be grateful always to the Chelsea supporters because they are supporting me.

“Probably because of the seasons that I had, I feel really loved by the fans. The other day against Basel at Stamford Bridge, I got emotional when I went to warm up and all the stands were cheering me up. I don’t know why.

“That is what I try to keep in my mind.”

The World Cup winner said he has the same support from his team-mates. “In the dressing room we are friends,” he said. “All of them were speaking to me, saying be patient, be calm, we know how good you are. And that’s very important for me as well.

“I feel really loved by my team-mates, by the club, by the supporters, so I’m just doing what I have to do which is be ­professional, respect everyone and keep going.”

Listening to Mata at an EA SPOTYS FIFA14 launch event, you feel the only person who does not love his playmaking abilities is Jose ­Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach rates Oscar more and wants Mata to work harder on the wings. Does the former Valencia star, who was condemned to the Capital One Cup team this week, see this as a challenge?

“It’s an opinion,” the Spaniard stated. But Mata admitted he was looking to improve. “My dad always said to me if you are left-footed improve with your right,” said the £23.5million midfielder.

“I have to improve defensively too. Every single offensive player has to. To be the perfect player is very very difficult but I have tried throughout my career to improve a lot. I think Jose can help me.

“Every manager can try to improve their players. It’s his job to bring the best out of his players.

“I can improve. If you ask me last season if it was the perfect season, it was the best in my career, but I could still have done better.”

Mata, who suffered from a thigh injury in pre-season, has no concerns about missing next summer’s World Cup. “It is just the beginning right now, we have eight months to go and I believe in myself more than ever and I know I am going to be there,” he said.

Today he hopes to face his Spain team-mate and Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado.

“Just do not let him touch the ball because if you do – especially in the box – it is probably going to be a goal,” he smiled.

Mata scored twice at White Hart Lane in a 4-2 Chelsea win last October against his former boss Andre Villas-Boas.

“It was one of my best memories of last season,” he recalled.

“I like to play in the stadium. I can’t wait to play. I can’t wait.”