Juan Mata

[kellzfresh 7,228]

He's a good player but he has not a cutting edge.

The way he played yesterday reading many comment of Manchester United fans was how I expected him to play especially with Valencia and Young in the wing.

I guess he will look extra good again if he plays with Januzaj that will eliminate players in midfield.

He played deep yesterday, playing either very conservative passes or speculative long balls. He played good last year as second striker but it was Oscar Hazard that were going past players. Like I said earlier, it was Oscar, Ramires, Hazard and Torres that were doing the work of carrying the ball, going past players, movements around the box that were giving him extra time and space in the final third.

Seeing him play with ashley young and valencia reminded me of when he played with malouda and kalou... Vanpersie is no drogba either. Mata will have as much impact as his first season here with those clowns by his side.

[Joshybizzle 109]

Mata was a great player, a great guy and will live fond in my memory, could prove to be a thorn in our side in the future maybe, but i don't hold a grudge against him for moving and i felt his open letter was very true to how he must have felt as he was packing his bags

Good player, good guy, bad situation

Can we stop gushing over him now? You guys are becoming stalker ex's.. i'm waiting for someone to write a poem or make a creepy collage with his eyes cut out

[Hutcho 8,443]

[The_Flash 1,144]

uglier in red shirt. and that face.. lol

That picture, lol

Be interesting to see where and how he plays when Rooney is back....

[NishC300 1,865]

Juan still appears on the kit ads here

[NishC300 1,865]

You people are just so mean. Can't I even just dream, pray, wish, hope that will happen?

That's all we can do I'm afraid.......

It's a cold cruel world....

Didn't play very well yesterday according to friends who are United fans... But ofc it takes time to settle.

According to the Jim White, he had a great influence. His pass to Young set up the move for their opening goal.

[sk21 11]

He may not be typical legend, but he helped us win first CL title. I guess after 50 years, Chelsea fans will tell stories about those 11 'legends' who brought us first ever CL title. Some bigger some smaller, but all heroes and legends

being a part of cl winning team makes you a legend? with that logic oriol romeu is a chelsea legend. well - who am i to say that he isnt.

also nicolas anelka is real madrid legend then..

[Korea 734]

United fans are deluded to think mata and adan will start together on the wings...

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,891]

After reading several articles, finally I understand why a world-class manager like Del Bosque preferring Silva over him.

You didnt have to read the articles, you could have just asked me. Silva is a much better player than him.

Silva also is a much better player for Spain.

[Cech's helmet 220]

Jose Mourinho has been recalling his time as Joe Cole's manager, saying he is pleased he was able to develop our former midfielder, now at West Ham, into a better player.

Cole is yet to turn out at Stamford Bridge since leaving Chelsea in 2010, and unfortunately injury prevents him from playing any part in today's game, where he would certainly have received a fantastic reception from former colleagues and supporters alike.

Cole was a key component of Mourinho's title-winning sides in 2005 and 2006, with the Portuguese helping convert our former number 10 from a skilful midfielder capable of individual brilliance to a team player capable of consistency and quality in equal measure. Mourinho reflected on that transformation ahead of our game with Cole's current employers, West Ham.

'I very much enjoyed working with Joe,' our manager said.

'Maybe I'm wrong - and Joe is the one that can say if I'm wrong or not - but my opinion is that with us he had the best time of his career. He had a difficult five or six months but after that I think he had the best three years of his career with Chelsea and as a consequence of that with England, because he was a regular player for England too.

'As a coach Joe is one of the examples you keep, and I keep a lot from my career, where you feel that we did something to make a player better. I like this because when you have players with talent but not other things, you can give them the other things. When the players have the other things but they don't have the talent, you cannot give them the talent.

'The way you train, the way you face competition, the responsibility to play in a collective situation and be ready to play in different positions and in different tactical systems - these are the things we managers can give them. Joe was a very talented player at that time and I think we helped him to be better.'

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3642304/title/mourinho-a-great-example

Everyone needs to read this. I'm pretty sure he's slagging Mata there.

[The_Flash 1,144]

According to the Jim White, he had a great influence. His pass to Young set up the move for their opening goal.

No he didn't, what game was he watching ?? I barely heard his name

[Svita 10 186]

very poor from Cohen this time

[Jase 43,479]

He's a good player but he has not a cutting edge.

The way he played yesterday reading many comment of Manchester United fans was how I expected him to play especially with Valencia and Young in the wing.

I guess he will look extra good again if he plays with Januzaj that will eliminate players in midfield.

He played deep yesterday, playing either very conservative passes or speculative long balls. He played good last year as second striker but it was Oscar Hazard that were going past players. Like I said earlier, it was Oscar, Ramires, Hazard and Torres that were doing the work of carrying the ball, going past players, movements around the box that were giving him extra time and space in the final third.

So you are basically Mata was only good because he had those players doing the things you mentioned?! Seriously, I don't know what is wrong with some people this season being so keen to play down Mata's abilities and discrediting all those great things he has done for us in the past 2 seasons.

For starters, Mata is an advanced playmaker that dictates the play in the attacking third and you obviously then gonna need players to make off the ball movements to allow chances to be created and allow Mata to exert this influence. And let's not act like as is Mata himself doesn't pass and move around to offer himself as a passing option and/or drag players away so that others can shine as well. You think players like Hazard, Oscar are able to dribble and get players if they don't have players like Mata, Torres and others don't make off the ball movements? They will just be running into cul-de-sacs!

Also comparing the likes of Hazard, Oscar etc with their ability on the ball to get past players with Mata is just nonsensical when they are different type of players with their own unique abilities on the ball.

[Jase 43,479]

very poor from Cohen this time

Almost, if not, all of his songs are rather cringeworthy IMO.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I understand that it all hurts us to see him play for United but we just have to accept it and move on.

Does it really hurt people? He was unwanted by us. We had moved on from him with a style of football that is attractive and also gets results. He was a very nice player for us in a period when we were pretty shit but to be honest I'm not at all pained by seeing him playing for United.

It was all very amicably done so I don't get why there should be any bad feeling.

[TrippingStep 336]

So you are basically Mata was only good because he had those players doing the things you mentioned?! Seriously, I don't know what is wrong with some people this season being so keen to play down Mata's abilities and discrediting all those great things he has done for us in the past 2 seasons.

For starters, Mata is an advanced playmaker that dictates the play in the attacking third and you obviously then gonna need players to make off the ball movements to allow chances to be created and allow Mata to exert this influence. And let's not act like as is Mata himself doesn't pass and move around to offer himself as a passing option and/or drag players away so that others can shine as well. You think players like Hazard, Oscar are able to dribble and get players if they don't have players like Mata, Torres and others don't make off the ball movements? They will just be running into cul-de-sacs!

Also comparing the likes of Hazard, Oscar etc with their ability on the ball to get past players with Mata is just nonsensical when they are different type of players with their own unique abilities on the ball.

I didn't say he was a shitty player.

Just that he has more limitations than some players and not just physically. If he could play more with his right it would help him. Players who press him knows where he will turn, to his left foot.

[NishC300 1,865]

No he didn't, what game was he watching ?? I barely heard his name

No he didn't, what game was he watching ?? I barely heard his name

I think he meant that Juan Mata brought some quality into the team. And while I saw the game today (had exams so when I came home I saw the games I missed) he did play some nice diagonal balls. (anyway I only read a bit of his article haha)

[ZanSnake 1,211]

Goodbye Mata.

I will remember you're amazing moments in the blue, and will always held you high within my lists of best players for Chelsea in the last year - but i also hope, that as a red the goal of the Premier League title eludes you as it will always hurt me to see you hold that cup with a red shirt when you didn't with a blue.

Thank you for the memories.