Juan Mata

[Sheva. 5,373]

He's simply had a wonderful first season at the club.

Assisted a goal in both the Fa cup and CL final. Player of the year. 20 assists for the season, and also added 12 goals.

23m well spent.

[i.am.blue 61]

mata should now win the euro 2012 for spain

[Kojo 4,676]

He will definitely stay now, that's what i'm happy about.

[Jase 43,479]

Did you count the assist in CL final? If not, looks like the wikipedia is wrong then.

Yes and that is his 20th of the season, 1 more than David Silva this campaign too.

[lecter 84]

A great signing. I feel that they found some true blues in Rami, Luiz and Mata in the recent years. Awesome display of attitude and passion by the three, all through the season.

I still think we depend a tad too much on Mata. I want us to sign another CAM as that is the only position we dont seem to have options!

[Kostas 1,468]

@Kostas

Mata played a good match. Mourinho's team wasnt build around Drogba, from 04 to 06, when we won 2 PL in a row, Drogba wasnt as important as he was for the team this days.

You know I've often said there's a chance we were watching different teams back then.

Not as important as this year and in 09/10 ? Maybe

But there's no way in hell you'll convince me that team wasn't built around a direct center-forward like Drogs.

Actually Lampard lost a penalty against Portugal in WC, and Drogba was always a flop in African Nations Cup.

Again null points since Saturday's match was the one that mattered. It was by far the most important game of their careers.. and they did not fail to stand to the occasion.

Didier was an a avarage striker in his first years here, but he learned how to be a winner.

He carried Marseille to the final of a European competition, he wasn't just a talented part of a greater team.

Mata is alerady a winner, and AVB team wasnt built around Mata, since he never knew where to play the guy.

Of course it was. He gave the guy license to roam and our left wing was unoccupied most of the time, our whole fricking team was unbalanced so that Mata would have the "freedom" to do his thing.

I'm not sure this was actually a point of if you were disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing.

And your comment was 100% uncalled for one day after our victory, and after the season Mata had with us.

It wasn't meant to be a critique against Mata, but more of comment on the good-old revolution/evolution BS, a debate which was naturally formed to the wishes of transfer muppets.

I don't need anyone telling me what a season my Player of the Season had.

Much like I would gladly admit any day of the season that while extremely talented and intelligent in terms of football Mata is nowhere near the league of Lampard and Drogba when it comes to mental strength.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Does anybody know when he'll be joining the Spanish team for the Euros? Spain will be here in Austria just a few kilometres from my hometown practicing and preparing for the big tournament and I'll be going to the first trainings session tomorrow so I just wanted to know if there's a chance to meet Juan and Torres.

Yup, both Torres and Mata made it which i am excited for as i will be rooting for them. Torres really deserves it as these past months he worked his ass off

[Jase 43,479]

Yup, both Torres and Mata made it which i am excited for as i will be rooting for them. Torres really deserves it as these past months he worked his ass off

Really hope Mata doesnt go to the Olympics. We can't let him suffer a burnt out with so many games coming up for us next season.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Really hope Mata doesnt go to the Olympics. We can't let him suffer a burnt out with so many games coming up for us next season.

Both got selected for the European Championships. And with the quality of the Spanish midfield i will doubt Mata will suffer and kind of fatigue

[Amblève. 4,995]

Yup, both Torres and Mata made it which i am excited for as i will be rooting for them. Torres really deserves it as these past months he worked his ass off

But do you know WHEN they will join the team? Will they get a few days to go on holidays or will they arrive the same the rest of Spain does?

[Jase 43,479]

Both got selected for the European Championships. And with the quality of the Spanish midfield i will doubt Mata will suffer and kind of fatigue

True but I would prefer to see Mata getting a nice & deserved rest before next season for us.

[TomCFC 356]

Really hope Mata doesnt go to the Olympics. We can't let him suffer a burnt out with so many games coming up for us next season.

He won't if he's in the Euros, and I doubt he'll play a major role in that.

[Santiago. 1,500]

But do you know WHEN they will join the team? Will they get a few days to go on holidays or will they arrive the same the rest of Spain does?

Unfortunately not much of a holiday. They join the squad May 25th

[Amblève. 4,995]

Unfortunately not much of a holiday. They join the squad May 25th

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I won't see them. Fucking shit! That can't be fair. It just can't be. I'll be off to Berlin that day, why can't they arrive ealier?

Thanks for the info, anyway.

[Jase 43,479]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2148085/Juan-Mata-park-opens-Oviedo.html?ITO=1490&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

A park in his home town Oviedo has been named after him and he got another thing too...

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

A bit off-topic but Mata's penalty miss had me thinking.

I remember a topic around the middle of the season in which the topic starter expressed his fears of how we may be turning into the Arsenal of 06-10, playing the entertaining "proper" football that both the owner and the fans have been craving for. The thing that the topic starter was concerned about is how we bottled games and threw away results in the very same manner that Arsenal team did. We set new records for goals conceded in the last 10-15 minutes of the game and gave away the cheapest of goals in games that we were by far the better footballing side.

Yesterday Drogba and Lampard scored their penalties while Mata failed to. AVB's Chelsea was built around Mata. Mourinho's Chelsea (and all our successful sides since he left, including Ancelotti's) was built around Drogba and Lampard. Players that had at the time, and yesterday proved once again they still do, the strength of character needed in football, the winner's strength. A strength the serial bottlers of Arsenal lacked, a strength that Mata lacked last night.

Apart from the footballing side of things (tactics, footballing style, substitutions, transfers, individual performances, rotten luck) and what the media forced us to consider pivotal (manager-players relations) the thing that IMO caused the downfall of AVB's Chelsea was coming to a successful club and trying to start from almost zero with players that were largely untested and unproven at this level and under this kind of pressure.

Winning sides are built around winners.

WOW, Talk about reading way too much into a Penalty miss.........

[Sheva. 5,373]

Congrats Juan, what a year for him

[Fulham Broadway 16,705]

how about this stat...

Mata ran more than 16,000 metres in the game (over 10 miles)!

Having played most games this season, you would forgive him for tiring

Player of the Season indeed