Few players have been so consistently useful yet remained so underrated than Juan Mata. The Spaniard, since moving to England, has consistently been a solid performer, more so at Chelsea but also at Man Utd.
At Chelsea, he was regarded as one of their best players – having won back-to-back in-house Player of the Year awards – but it’s not quite been as easy for him in Manchester.
Mata, who is rated at £27 million by Transfer Markt, moved to the club only to be followed not long after by the very man that effectively forced him out of Chelsea in Jose Mourinho, and that, naturally, left him in a tough position.
However, he chose to stick it out, and in fairness to Mourinho, he opted to keep him at the club, albeit rarely as a key player.
Now, somehow, he finds himself outside of the upper bracket of talent in the Premier League, with many somehow forgetting just how good he has been over the years.
Take his time at Chelsea, for example. During his best season at Stamford Bridge, during the 2012/13 season, he picked up a stunning 12 goals and 12 assists, earmarking himself out as easily their best player. With an incredible range of passing and quality on the ball, few could come close to his importance to the club.
At Man Utd, he’s never been able to quite live up to those numbers, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been important. He’s regularly been involved in the side, and he’s often played a crucial role in the build-up to many of Man Utd’s best moves over the years. He still retains that technique and ability that made him such a hit in the English capital just prior. His best Man Utd league tally of 9 goals and 5 assists remains a decent record.
However, he’s now marked out an even more significant role at Old Trafford – that of a game-changer. Though not staring as often as he would have liked at the club, he still retains importance under Jose Mourinho, and whilst he may have been deemed expendable not too long ago – that’s all changed now.
His game against Newcastle – in which his goal sparked a remarkable comeback from the Red Devils – helped to highlight the role he can have this season, whilst his display against Juventus on Wednesday night highlighted that even further. Named as Man Utd’s Man of the Match, he was Man Utd’s secret weapon – and he was a player that Juventus just couldn’t deal with.
So, though Mata may now be deemed a player with limited quality and lacking the ability to start each week, that doesn’t make him useless. In fact, Mata has managed to carve out a role for himself despite the difficult circumstances. He’s no longer a luxury, he’s a player that Man Utd simply can’t do without.
Thoughts?
