Juan Mata

[Korea 734]

One question, does Silva track back/defend wth Man City? what about Ozil? Cazorla? Coutinho? Isco?

selling one of the best players in the world at his peak because he doesn't "track back" is the dumbest business deal in football history.

Silva does and he plays on the wings most of his time at City....

Ozil does and has played a lot of games for Arsenal on the wings.......

Santi does, but fails....

Coutinho doesnt, but like Mata, has physical limitations and is always injured...

ISCO a beast...

Selling Mata to raise funds so Mourinho can bring in one of his own players that fit his gameplay is the way it should be....

[Fulham Broadway 16,954]

Its not so much the tracking back as his inability to close down and win the ball back.

Willian, oscar, and Hazard are all adept at getting a foot in -Mata is lacking in this area. For the same reason he is not first choice in the Spanish national team, Xavi, Fabregas and Iniesta are superb at harassing, cajoling and winning the ball back. Until this area of his game improves, or we have a striker who scores for fun, its unlikely Mourinho will pick him above the alternatives.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Shut up, he didnt challenge anyone's authority!

Childish is the complete overreaction you are having towards a simple gesture Mata had. You are making it bigger than the game itself...

He was only very upset due to all the things he is going through this season. We are in January and this is the very first sign of disappointment Mata showed. Mata won the last two POTY awards and now he is not even on the first team. How do you expect him to react? Giving kisses to Jose in the press conferences? Of corse not! Juan even waited A LOT to show it (at least in public). He was a gentlemen compared to other players in his situation (does Rooney ring a bell?). If this was another player, agents and family members would have already made a media mess by now!

He is human just like everybody else, which means emotions can take over control sometimes. He didnt storm into the dressing room, he didnt questioned or yelled at Mourinho, he didnt refused to get subbed, he didnt sat on the bench breaking things, etc. He was only very upset and didnt do anything to hide it.

And we dont even know if all those faces and signs were complainments towards Jose or himself. Maybe he was just absolutely pissed that all he was doing wasnt working. We dont know!

Juan was not playing well and he deserved to be benched. I am not defending he had to be on the team (because he didnt). But we cant be arrogant to a point where we expect him to act like a robot and feel nothing. He is a human being with expectations and goals just like everybody else and he is realising they will hardly be fulfilled with Jose Mourinho (not that Jose is wrong, but still). So it is pretty normal that Juan acts like he did yeaterday.

Again, I am not defending his place on the team nor any bigger reactions that might come in the future in case things continue like that. However, it is perfectly understandable why he is dissappointed and acted a little rusty yesterday...

Don't kid yourself, Mata's thrown him dummy out of the pram and he ain't getting it back any time soon.

We're going to have to agree to disagree. I'm really not happy about what Mata's done.

[Liquidator 5,176]

Personally I don't think he was trying to undermine Mourinho. He's probably just frustrated (as much with himself as Mourinho) and just did what he did in the heat of the moment. The overreaction here is a bit silly in my opinion. It isn't like he is constantly moaning, or dropping hints of his annoyance on social media. Up until now he has just got on with it and accepted his place on the bench which must be difficult considering how good he has been the last 2 seasons. It was a simple isolated incident.

I feel a bit sorry for him really. He is a player who always gives everything for the team and loves the club and the fans. It isn't that he's playing badly more just that he doesn't fit Mourinho's system. That happens in football sometimes. If he hands in a transfer request because he wants to leave in search of first team football in a World Cup year then the club should treat him and the request with the same respect he has shown the club throughout his time here and give him the best deal and opportunity to find a good club.

He shouldn't leave with any hard feelings and we shouldn't treat him in a negative way either. It is just part of football, unfortunately. He's a nice guy who in my opinion would always be welcome back and a great professional who would be a credit to any club in the world.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Before people jump on the bandwagon and accuse me of being ardent defender of Mata here, I would like to ask, on what grounds were Mata's reaction yesterday indicating he was challenging Mourinho's decision or authority for that matter? Yes, we can all see his frustration and he's clearly not happy after he was subbed off but we don't even know what his frustration was exactly, do we? It just seems nonsensical that people are coming to that conclusion above based on one reaction like that - a speculation-esque if anything - when there is no 100% evidence to say he was completely challenging Mourinho's decision. And even at that, to say he's 'challenge' seems somewhat OTT of a description. If anything, there's a difference between him 'not happy' with Mourinho's decision and 'challenge' the manager's decision.

The fact he has visibly reacted in the way he did. If that isn't showing discontent, and thus challenging Mourinho's decision and ultimately his authority, then I'm not quite sure what is. His slamming down of the seat and his subsequent scowl and gesture - all after blanking the boss - is as bad as walking straight down the tunnel. If he wasn't moaning about Mourinho, then why was he gesticulating so fervently? Was he moaning about the rain?

Like I have already expressed, I have made my various points and I will stand by them. Up to other people if they want to act so butt-hurt over me challenging Mr Perfect. The club > any one player. I love Mata to bits but I'm not happy with his reaction, it isn't what I expect from one of our players. That's just my view. I want him to bounce back and get back into the team, but at the minute, he should be unhappy with himself rather than the boss.

[Alan Partridge 1,124]

Do not sell him to United! unless Rooney is part of the deal, which won't happen

[Liquidator 5,176]

I'm really not happy about what Mata's done.

To be honest, whether it is what you expect of a Chelsea player or not, I imagine the majority of our squad members would do the same. In fact you could say Mata has been quite exemplary and patient up until and a lot of players would have done what he did yesterday far sooner.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

To be honest, whether it is what you expect of a Chelsea player or not, I imagine the majority of our squad members would do the same. In fact you could say Mata has been quite exemplary and patient up until and a lot of players would have done what he did yesterday far sooner.

I'm not sure. Don't get me wrong, I expect people to look glum if they're coming off the pitch early, out of disappointment more than anything. But people are trying to cover up the fact that Mata's reaction was far more vivid than the mere shake of the head and pout you'd normally get. I think the reason I'm so shocked by it is, as you say, Mata's behaviour has previously been absolutely magnificent. As I have already stated, this is the reaction I'd expect from the likes of Nasri or Tevez, or even someone like Eto'o or Torres, just not Juan. It saddens me that his patience seems to have been exhausted.

[The Skipper 20,593]

One moment of frustration shown and suddenly Mata is undermining the manager. Suddenly, Mata is an absolute villain. People are using this one tiny moment to completely forget how professional he's been before that. I'm not excusing what he did, but honestly, have none of you ever shown frustration when things aren't going your way?

The overreaction on here is ridiculous. You lot sound like the media.

[dee25 1,044]

I'm not sure. Don't get me wrong, I expect people to look glum if they're coming off the pitch early, out of disappointment more than anything. But people are trying to cover up the fact that Mata's reaction was far more vivid than the mere shake of the head and pout you'd normally get. I think the reason I'm so shocked by it is, as you say, Mata's behaviour has previously been absolutely magnificent. As I have already stated, this is the reaction I'd expect from the likes of Nasri or Tevez, or even someone like Eto'o or Torres, just not Juan. It saddens me that his patience seems to have been exhausted.

This?

https://vine.co/v/hVjtav3D6bu

He seems more defeated than anything. I can understand your annoyance, but think you're completely overreacting. We've had players in the past who've done a lot worse than that.

Besides, even when he's frustrated Mata's still so loveable!

[didierforever 7,349]

did mata spit on mourinho???

i mean the way people are "ridiculing" him here, thats what u would think have happened and not just that mata was upset over being subbed and shaked his head with an exasperated look.

[The only place to be 11,313]

I think the problem with Mata is that he just doesn't understand the current situation. He wasn't aware that he wasn't playing, he wasn't aware that there have been stories about Mourinho not selecting him and he comes from a country where football matches simply aren't shown on tv so how was he to know a camera would pick up what he did. It's not like he's had media training from the club or that he's intimately acquainted with the way social media operates.

Or maybe he isn't a complete idiot.

Everyone here can understand his frustration, but we expect players to conduct themselves in a certain manner even when things aren't going their way. It's easy to complain about the media but he made himself the headline with that little outburst and we're spending more time talking about a second-choice play spitting the dummy than a real superstar performance from Oscar.

[Barbara 15,149]

Dude, it has nothing to do with Oscar! I even said that had Willian and Oscar had bad matches, it still would make him look bad. It's how he questioned his superior authority like a spoiled child that bothered me. I bet all of you denfending it do the same in your professional environment.

As my posts are too long people may not read them til the end, but the last line I said I hope his actions as well as Oscar's shameful dive were a once-in-a-lifetime thing... I just disapprove that kind of reaction and if it was Luiz, Mikel, Suarez, or someone else, I'm positive a lot of people defending Mata here would be saying that's shameful too. I would despise their reaction the same way I despised Oscar's... one standard for all.

Well, your beloved Oscar was given a special treatment when Mourinho said 5 months ago that he was the choosen one and you didn't say anything about that.

no I didn't - although I said I think his main man is Hazard, not Oscar.

I was also one of the first to say Oscar should be dropped when he played awfully 3-4 weeks ago and also the first to criticize his shameful diving yesterday (by first I don't mean literally). So yeah, you have a point alright

[The Skipper 20,593]

It's how he questioned his superior authority like a spoiled child that bothered me.

That's your interpretation of it. My interpretation is that he was frustrated that he couldn't influence the game.

[Fulham Broadway 16,954]

At the end of the day hes fucked off at not playing which for a team game has to be good -its a competitive sport, and surely it would have been worse if he'd strolled nonchalantly off, or even worse came off smiling.

I cant fault the man but, for the good of the team the best and most suitable players for the occasion must take precedence, which yesterday were Oscar and Willian.

[Barbara 15,149]

That's your interpretation of it. My interpretation is that he was frustrated that he couldn't influence the game.

how come if he refused to greet Mourinho and if he pointed towards his direction in the sideline bitching with gestures, body language and probably language too? He was absolutely pissed at Mourinho, my interpretation of that is very clear, but you're right, it's my own interpretation.

I think you guys see what you want to see... but I won't discuss it anymore. As I said (and it doesn't apply to you) had it been other guys in our team or players hated around here, they'd be criticized til tomorrow. It's Mata so people find a way to defend it.

[bushman 2,043]

To interpret Mata´s behavior as he was pissed off because the team was not doing well at that moment is laughable.

Mata was pissed off because he was pulled out, as clearly seen.

To undermine Jose was wrong, even Essien tried to hold him back.

If PSG is willing to fork out 30m for him, let him go. Personally, I was always defending him, was not happy when he was not playing.

However, Chelsea is the team I root for & one Mata is not going to dictate where to play or how often.

Sorry to see it now, but Chelsea is the name & trophies are my game.

[-Kaplan- 410]

For anyone that cares to read, here: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pitchside-europe/mata-had-100-per-cent-pass-completion-why-144117558.html

It tries to explain why Mata was subbed off.