Red Rants |
| Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:07 PM PST
That is not to say that United’s record signing disappointed in his first outing for his new club, but to classify tonight as a “dream debut” would be to get carried away too soon and too quickly.
Throughout his first 83 minutes as Manchester United player, the £37.1m-man showed glimpses of the class we’re all hoping to get accustomed to in the next few months and while his flame only seldom burnt, the former Chelsea man delivered a solid performance nevertheless, one good enough to granting him a standing ovation as he was replaced by Adnan Januzaj with only seven minutes left. Greeted upon his arrival onto the pitch by the sort of raucous reception only football fans desperate for a bit of good news can deliver – and one which only just surpassed the hero’s welcome dedicated to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on his return to Old Trafford – Mata’s arrival inspired United to a bright start. The tactical conundrum over the Spaniard’s position had filled newspaper inches since rumours began filtering of a possible move to Old Trafford, and David Moyes’ first tactical instructions to Mata saw the former Chelsea player deployed in the number 10 position, just behind the returning Robin Van Persie. Having missed 11 games, the Dutchman was eager to reclaim his reign and took barely six minutes to do so, his header finding the back of the net, after Antonio Valencia’s header had crashed against the bar and David Marshall had parried Van Persie’s follow up. The move had begun with a brilliant cross-field pass from Mata, who looked intent to impress on his debut but soon found that being surrounded by Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones and Ashley Young isn’t quite the same thing as exchanging passes with Oscar, Eden Hazard and Frank Lampard. United’s familiar midfield problems emerged yet again in all their terrifying glory, with Ryan Giggs the only member of the midfield four eager to drive forward but sharing Mata’s problem of not having anybody to pass the ball to, given Jones, Valencia and Young took turns to determine who was the most static among themselves. United’s promising start – Van Persie’s was United’s first goal in the opening 25 minutes of a Premier League match at home this season – soon petered out, while Cardiff tried to create a few problems to Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans with a series of crosses that piled pressure on United’s rearguard, but failed to generate any clear-cut chances. The second half began in similar fashion, with the Stretford End serenading Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and reminding everybody that he was much better value for money than Alan Shearer, while Cardiff fans, bizarrely, thought appropriate to forget about being bottom of the league to remind us that we’re “going to win fuck all”. To each their own, but at least United have Ashley Young. Every Red’s favourite pantomime villain decided that Mata had been awarded enough time in the spotlight and grabbed the second half headlines all for himself, cutting inside from the left before unleashing a thunderous strike that flew past Marshall and into the bottom corner of his near post. With United 2-0 up just before the hour mark, Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley replaced Van Persie and Giggs, before Valencia squandered an excellent counter attack by wasting time in the box, though he forced Marshall into a rather excellent save and Rooney and Januzaj both went close to get on the scoresheet. It wasn’t spectacular by any stretch of imagination, but after enduring a dismal end to 2013 and an even worse start to 2014, Moyes and his men will hope to ride the feel good factor generated by Mata’s arrival and Rooney and Van Persie’s return for a little longer. Now, if only United could go into Saturday’s game with a new central midfielder in their ranks… |
| The signing that is Moyes’ big chance Posted: 28 Jan 2014 09:24 AM PST
Everything, from the new manager, to new team-mates to a new environment and fans is portrayed to offer the new arrival with a wonderful chance to revitalise his career, prove his former manager wrong, develop into a world class player or a bit of both, depending who the footballer in question might be.
Juan Mata’s arrival at Manchester United undoubtedly presents the Spaniard with a great chance to prove that Jose Mourinho should have kept in South West London, not to mention that a successful second half to the season would cement Mata’s place in Spain’s squad for the World Cup. The £37m signing, however, represents an even bigger opportunity for David Moyes and Manchester United as a whole. The United manager has divided opinions since his arrival at Old Trafford, with some fans growing frustrated at the lack of results, while others – albeit they could soon count themselves and find that many have defected to the other side – maintain that the former Everton boss deserves his chance to turn United’s fortunes around. Moyes now has that opportunity and he must seize it with both hands, for the arrival of Juan Mata could prove to be the first stepping stone in Moyes’ process to rebuild United and mould the squad according to the plan that he – as United fans have been hoping for – has in mind. The Spaniard might not necessarily be what United need at this moment in time, their midfield still worryingly weak and their defence a delicate mixture of players in the winter of the careers and others who are still too raw to fulfil the role as expected of them, but Mata’s arrival could be the sort of lucky break Moyes desperately needed and wanted. “Could” is the keyword here as far as United are concerned, for the most worrying aspect of United’s dismal season has been the utterly pedestrian football they’ve offered, Adnan Januzaj the only shining light of a campaign throughout which United have mastered the ability to pass the ball to wingers who can’t beat their man on a loop. Signing Mata has undoubtedly lifted the morale in the dressing room and on the stands, while offering Moyes and the club some much-needed breathing space, as the United manager has finally proved he can attract the sort of world class players, many had thought would be beyond him. For many, Moyes is the main culprit for United’s dire approach, but Mata’s arrival opens different tactical options for the United manager, who could play the Spaniard alongside Adnan Januzaj and Wayne Rooney in support of Robin Van Persie in a 4-2-3-1 midfield, or further up the pitch in the sort of 4-3-3- formation Jose Mourinho adopted in his first spell at Chelsea. A player of Mata’s quality and talent could be crucial in helping United on their transition from the archaic football they’ve shown this season onto the more exciting brand of football that it’s embodied in club ethos and demanded by the fans, but David Moyes must be bold enough to seize the chance with both hands. |
| “He is not the player we need” Posted: 28 Jan 2014 06:51 AM PST
As a versatile attacking midfielder, it's clear that he has demonstrated at Chelsea he is at his best in behind the striker, with right midfield being his other position. To me, Wayne Rooney is a better a No. 10 than Juan Mata is. As for right midfield, despite Antonio Valencia underperforming this season he offers an incredible amount of pace, a trait Mata does not appear to have in mass.
I presume David Moyes is looking to play Mata in behind the striker. With that in mind as well as the hefty fee, I think David Moyes is adding him to the team to prepare us for life without Wayne Rooney. Is Wayne Rooney going to be a Manchester United player this time next year? I don't think so. Going back to my initial point, I still do not think Mata is the answer to resolve the problems that we are having in midfield. Yes we are lacking creativity in the final third but we are also lacking a general in the centre of the park, someone who can dominate a midfield battle and really influence the players around him. Of course we could list the likes of ?lkay Gündo?an, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba, but it is imperative that we secure Champions League football next season but whether Juan Mata is the right man at the moment for us, we have to wait and see although there is no denying he will lift a demoralised group of players psychologically as well as providing quality and guile on the pitch; hopefully that will prove enough to get us into that top 4. |
The signing of Juan Mata could prove to be a key factor in our challenge for top 4. My initial thought was "He is not the player we need"| You are subscribed to email updates from Red Rants To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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