Mata/Rooney

How many goals has Mata scored when Rooney hasn't been on the pitch?

I honestly thought Mata would do well stepping up in his absence but he looks as bad as he has ever done in a red shirt.

Does Rooney's presence afford him a bit more space in his preferred positions?

I like Mata but he really does need to start performing when given a chance.

Originally Posted by Crumps

How many goals has Mata scored when Rooney hasn't been on the pitch?

I honestly thought Mata would do well stepping up in his absence but he looks as bad as he has ever done in a red shirt.

Does Rooney's presence afford him a bit more space in his preferred positions?

I like Mata but he really does need to start performing when given a chance.

Mata gets a lot of space but unfortunately he seems to have lead boots on....ive always been a fan but id rather have kept Kagawa .....i wont miss Mata when he goes

id have mata in behind rooney and flacao

Originally Posted by Crumps

How many goals has Mata scored when Rooney hasn't been on the pitch?

I honestly thought Mata would do well stepping up in his absence but he looks as bad as he has ever done in a red shirt.

Does Rooney's presence afford him a bit more space in his preferred positions?

I like Mata but he really does need to start performing when given a chance.

He's completely anonymous.

It takes him so long to get anywhere on the pitch, so that when he does get to the ball and passes it, he's out of the game because he doesn't have the mobility to catch up with play off the ball.

Also, when he has had the ball, his passing has not been anything above ordinary - his creativity & technique is meant to compensate for the above weaknesses but he hasn't even shown that.

He's a nice guy but is looking like an extremely expensive mistake. His lack of contribution either defensively or offensively effectively makes him a passenger in the team. We have too many of those at the moment, given that some of our other attacking players are lazy and slow too. It's not like United at all to have so many of these types of players in the team.

I would rather see Janujaz there, or rather we hadn't sold Kagawa nor sent Nani on loan. Even Anderson would probably see more of the ball there

Originally Posted by Ranier Wolfcastle

He's completely anonymous.

It takes him so long to get anywhere on the pitch, so that when he does get to the ball and passes it, he's out of the game because he doesn't have the mobility to catch up with play off the ball.

Also, when he has had the ball, his passing has not been anything above ordinary - his creativity & technique is meant to compensate for the above weaknesses but he hasn't even shown that.

He's a nice guy but is looking like an extremely expensive mistake. His lack of contribution either defensively or offensively effectively makes him a passenger in the team. We have too many of those at the moment, given some of our other attacking players have tended towards the sedentary approach. It's not like United at all.

Would rather see Janujaz there, or rather we hadn't sold Kagawa nor sent Nani on loan.

yeah because kags always looked great when he played that position

Originally Posted by puressence

id have mata in behind rooney and flacao

Mata just looks too slow, would rather have Di Maria in the hole with Herrera, Blind and Carrick (Vidal or Khederia if we could get them)

Originally Posted by barrington avenue

Mata gets a lot of space but unfortunately he seems to have lead boots on....ive always been a fan but id rather have kept Kagawa .....i wont miss Mata when he goes

A bit deeper he does yeah but not really where he has shown he can hurt teams with goals/assists which has been his forté.

Playing off a mobile forward who can stretch the play his best position?

Originally Posted by plopborsky

yeah because kags always looked great when he played that position

He wasn't given a run there like Mata has been. Also the Moyes season could be taken as an anomaly because it wasn't based around short, quick passing.

Kagawa also scored a hattrick from that position - the last person to do that was Scholes 11 years ago (I think).

Originally Posted by plopborsky

yeah because kags always looked great when he played that position

yes he did actually...the only time we resembled a team playing football under Moyes was when Kag played through middle....about 3 and a half games

Originally Posted by Ranier Wolfcastle

He wasn't given a run there like Mata has been. Also the Moyes season could be taken as an anomaly because it wasn't based around short, quick passing.

Kagawa also scored a hattrick from that position - the last person to do that was Scholes 11 years ago (I think).

Veron was a great number 10 too.

Originally Posted by Crumps

Veron was a great number 10 too.

Eh?

In a team that plays at a higher tempo, I think Kagawa would have thrived more than Mata has done so far, especially with players like Herrera & Di Maria around him.

he is just too slow for us for the way we play...he would do well at Arsenal as they are possession at all costs and delicate through balls. we are more about pace and counter attack ,mata just cant keep up when we in full flow

Originally Posted by Ranier Wolfcastle

Eh?

In a team that plays at a higher tempo, I think Kagawa would have thrived more than Mata has done so far, especially with players like Herrera & Di Maria around him.

Agree on that the quick interplay and Kagawa, ultimately I think that's where Januzaj will probably end up.

I really do like Mata but he is a type of player we have never really had before at OT. When things are clicking he will invariably look good, he has the skill to create a chance or goal out of nothing but can look like a complete passenger.

Would like to see how he plays off Falcao and Rooney. Suspect his time will be up in order to bring another proper midfielder in and with Di Maria taking on that role.

not sure if mata really has the right personality for united.

saw the huge knee bandage projected onto the clouds and came as soon as I could.

mata is a dawdle arse, kagawa was a lightweight, rooney has no touch, janners has been poor this season, van persie is off form..... maybe we should play without a number 10.

Originally Posted by jem

mata is a dawdle arse,.

He is without question a little dawdle arse.

Originally Posted by barrington avenue

yes he did actually...the only time we resembled a team playing football under Moyes was when Kag played through middle....about 3 and a half games

go on say it throw out the Norwich game the most worn out excuse on fred

Originally Posted by plopborsky

go on say it throw out the Norwich game the most worn out excuse on fred

That wasn't under Moyes, pal.

I nailed this the other week: United don't need a #10 at the best of times but especially [nominally] behind 2 strikers

The tempo of the United side has for a long time now been set by a play-maker in a deeper position, be that Scholes, Carrick or before that the pair of them. Seems obvious this'll be some combination of Carrick, Blind and Herrera for LVG.

LVG has come closer and closer to United's way of doing things since he's been here rather than the other way around, so it's only a matter of time before we're back playing with split strikers long. They may work okay together, but it's unlikely to be Rooney and Mata.

I think a rotating front three of Mata, Rooney and Falcao will work well. It would probably work just as well with RvP in there for someone too but something seems amiss with him at the minute.

What we need to do is £#%&! off this wing back situation until we get two decent wingbacks and stick to a 4-4(1-2-1, 2-2, 3-1 wotevs) - 2 formation.

For the Chelsea games I'd go with a rigid as a formation as possible to try and negate the midfield and hope that the talent we have going forward is enough to break them on the counter.

My perfect line up would be:

De Gea
Rafael - Evans - Rojo - Shaw ()
Herrera - Blind - di Maria
Mata - Rooney - RvP (or Falcao)

With the front three constantly rotating to assist the midfield.