As Juan Mata struck home a 25-yard effort to secure Manchester United a vital three points in their last Premier League game against Crystal Palace, the diminutive Spaniard ran to the corner flag of the Stretford End, pointingmeaningfully to the name on the back of his shirt.
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It was a reminder of his identity, for the technically gifted playmaker has looked a lost man since his £37.1 million transfer to Manchester United in January 2014. Arriving at Carrington amidst a tricky tenure for David Moyes, much pressure was placed on Mata to ride the phoenix in the resurgence of Manchester United.
Nine goals and five assists in 24 appearances in the Premier League read respectably, yet it is Mata’s performances on the pitch which have induced criticism, given that United’s form has not drastically changed since his arrival.
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From the offset, former Manchester United defender turned pundit Gary Neville speculated how Mata would slot into the jigsaw at Old Trafford. Mata’s frail figure of 5ft 7in leaves him inept to play on the wing for Manchester United, where strength and pace are pivotal to combat the dynamic defenders in the modern game and build blitzing counter attacks.
This leaves United’s number 8 rooted to play in his naturalcentre attacking midfield position (CAM); behind the striker. The role of the CAM has overseen a shift since the continent’s favouring of the 4-2-3-1 formation post-Millennium. It is the middle position in the ‘3’, where technically gifted players, with vision and creativity, are given the best chance to let their skills flourish – acting as the main assister to the centre forward.
It was in this position where Mata excelled in two years at Chelsea, seeing him net 18 goals and secure 25 assists in 69 Premier League appearances. Perhaps it was the balance of Chelsea’s team, with Ramires and Lampard anchoring the side, which gave Mata provision to attack and calm his defensive responsibilities, but it would be naive to ignore the numbers he achieved at the London club.
In eight appearances at CAM for United last season, Mata scored six goals and secured three assists. On the other hand, when played out of position in seven appearances on the flanks, Mata scored two goals and failed to make an assist. The correlation is clear to see.Yet the problem does not lie with where to play Mata, it is how he fits in there. This season, Louis van Gaal has aided in the reformation of Fellaini – another purchase from last season – who, despite his extravagant barnet, also struggled for identity in the United ranks.
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It gives Mata hope, that Fellaini – a player who received abundant criticism last year for a series of limp displays – seems to be evolving into an important player for van Gaal in the midfield ‘3’ of the Dutch manager’s much revered 4-3-3 formation. Google ‘Great Ajax 1995 Team Goal’ and you appreciate how swiftly van Gaal’s teams move the ball along the floor; transitioning from the back four to the strikers with ingenuity. If you have wondered what van Gaal’s ever-mentioned ‘philosophy’ is; that goal epitomises it. Furthermore, Mata can integrate into that philosophy.
In every successful van Gaal team of the past, there has been a Mata – a calculated, technical midfielder, bestowing the ability to spark the best out of other attacking players.
In the Champions League-winning Ajax team of ’95, Jari Litmanen played the CAM role; a player who relied on footballing acuity over raw speed or strength. This can be echoed of Luis Enrique at Barcelona, Marten Maartens at AZ Alkmaar and Thomas Müller at Bayern Munich. All these players were instrumental components of van Gaal’s title-winning sides, earning their place in the team due to their intuitive football brains which were reflected in their feet.
Mata can be the Litmanen, Enrique, Müller of this current United side. Already this season the Spaniard has shown the talents required of a player in the CAM role. Amidst criticism, a passing accuracy of 92% has been achieved by him so far, with this marginally dipping to 86% in the more congested final third of the pitch.
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Compare this to Wayne Rooney – Mata’s main competitor in the CAM position – who has an overall passing accuracy of 84% this campaign, dipping to 73% in the final third. Van Gaal has already acknowledged that Rooney cannot compete with the talents of Robin van Persie or Radamel Falcao in the striker position, thus relocating him into the CAM role.
However, perhaps now is the time for Rooney to make the switch to a deeper-lying central midfield role – a position Sir Alex Ferguson tried to play Rooney in, nearing the end of his 26-year tenure. As a result, this could see Mata promoted into the CAM role, whilst Rooney could partner Daley Blind or Marouane Fellaini in central midfield, dependent on the tacticto keep possession or break up play, respectively.
The notable contributions which Mata has had this season have all illustrated his ability to change the complexion of a game: his goal vs Sunderland was the equaliser, his assist vs Everton was the opening goal and his goal vs Crystal Palace was the winner.If van Gaal puts faith in Mata and allows his natural flair to flourish in the CAM position, perhaps the name on the back of the shirt will start benefiting the name on the front.
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