Juan Mata

[Azpinator 2,325]

But it really wasn't about 'faith' with Juan. He kept getting pretty regular minutes in the team despite not playing well at all. He literally had two good performances last season: Against Arsenal in the Capital One cup and Tottenham when he came on in the second half changed the match and got the assist for Terry's equalizer.

But other than that he was mostly very dire.

The 3-1 against Southampton

The 4-0 against Steaua Bucharest

[CHOULO19 24,332]

The 3-1 against Southampton

The 4-0 against Steaua Bucharest

Right, he was very good against Saints, but I can't remember his performance against Steaua. All I remember is Schurrle stealing the show and creating the first three goals.

[Jase 43,479]

Painful

At first I wondered why Mata was so poor in the wing. But after more than a year of other failed experiments in the right wing, I've changed my mind.

Any player who doesn't have the physical balance of Hazard and Willian and strength to hold the ball under pressure is useless in our right wing.

I just wish he was given a chance behind the striker, especially Eto'o who was better at linking up than torres. At least if Mata showed no desire to work hard from the middle then fair play, but he was thrown to the wings and inevitably out after being our best player for 2 straight seasons.

I can't blame Mourinho though, he thought Oscar had more potential than he's shown so far, and put a lot of faith in him.

Thought Oscar had the better potential? Well, I'm not so sure if that was the reason.

The problem was, Mourinho never rated Mata to begin with. What he did was never going to be good enough. The minute he does something bad in a game, he'll be out of the next. It's worse when you consider some other players make so many mistakes and still get consistent game time.

[didierforever 7,349]

It's not about him being not good enough but he wouldn't fit in to this season's team. Mata and Cesc in the same midfield would be a disaster off the ball.

Still love him, and he gave us some great moments and dare I say was one of the rays of hope in the last days of AVB, but on the pitch we have both moved on.

read my post. i did not say that mata's transfer was wrong.

but the utter disrespect and disdane for him was shocking.

here was a guy who had single handedly kept us alive and running for 2 complete seasons with barely a drop in form.

yet, he was suddenly reduced to a mid table la liga side player.

and then there was the case of people having weird opinions. oscar was suddenly the next zidane.

and that is what pissed me off. there was a guy named "korea" or something if i remember correctly, who had the gall of saying that mata was the reason of our 2011-13 mediocrity. it does not matter that we had a useless striker in torres. flanked by kalou and malouda and a pivot of mikel and ramires/lampard.. but suddenly it was all his fault.

[didierforever 7,349]

With the level he was playing with at the time, plus the highly complete profile he has, yeah, I would definitely pick Oscar over Mata.

Now this is the kind of lottery you're dealing with in football, nobody could have predicted the change of fortune for the two even a few months earlier, that's just the proof that when you are a gambler like Mourinho, you can still lose, even with all the technicity you have.

Now excuse me, but where were you when Mata was struggling to get a single minute at Old Trafford and Oscar was bagging goals and delivering game after game at the start of the season ?

Selective memory, as usual.

so shifting a CAM into a RWB is your condition of judging how well a player was/is doing and that too in half a season. oscar has had 2 complete seasons as a CAM and we are still unsure of him.wait, not unsure, i would say most of us have given up on him. well, even jose made the mistake of putting all his eggs in oscar's basket and right now we are looking to simply be rid of oscar.

there are lotteries like how players like oscar/thorgan will develop. its not a lottery to let go of someone like mata and replace him with salah.

"bagging goals". the guy has scored 7 times and assisted 8 times in 2683 minutes all the bloody season long @179minutes/goalorassist.

mata on the other hand has 9 goals and 4 assists in 1965 minutes @ 151minutes. playing the majority of the season as RW compared to oscar as a CAM as for the team which has the most number of goals. when mata was not getting a minute at OT, we were laughing our asses off at LVG who was stupid enough to play the likes of adnan ahead of mata. as soon as mata has started getting proper gametime, united have been a different team. that does not really sound like selective memory to me.

[Spike 12,049]

Good guy Mata.

[Oscar 441]

Was Mata playing today?

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

One of the few ex-Blues who I think still genuinely love Chelsea.

[didierforever 7,349]

i heard he was hugging all the our players after the game!!!!

CLASSSSSSSS

[iseah100 5,612]

Love the little man, always and forever a blue

[coolhead23 1,146]

One of the classiest guy not just in football ... we need lot of such in today's world ...

Mata ... Hats off to you!

[mikeholiday 209]

Thanks for the hugs... and for not scoring..

[Jase 43,479]

Deservedly got a great reception before the game and during it when he was taken off. Even waited at the tunnel at FT to greet the players.

And, it still hurts.

[Eidur the Spider 4,515]

Love the guy.

[Jase 43,479]

Love the guy.

From this to that...

:cry:

[Parky 739]

A true gentleman setting a fine example in a sport full of inflated egos and $hit talkers..

I am still sad to see him in a Man Utd shirt..

[Svita 10 186]

so much love for him!!!

[Jase 43,479]

Can't believe Chelsea TV didn't do a short interview with him or something.