The plight of Juan Mata

During their short time together, Juan Mata and Jose Mourihno certainly had their differences (telegraph).

Juan Mata was coming off a clear high at the conclusion of the 2012-2013 Premier League campaign.  In a span of just four years, Chelsea’s talented midfielder had won the Champions League, Europa League, Euro Cup, the last two Chelsea Player of the Year awards, the Under-21 World Cup, and, most importantly, the FIFA World Cup.  Last season alone, he was Chelsea’s Player of the Year, a finalist for the Premier League Player of the Year, Europa League Champion, Euro Cup Champion, and a scorer in the European championship game.

So, as Mata prepared for his third season in Chelsea blue, much was expected, and he seemed prepared to deliver.  Yet he debuted the season on Jose Mourihno‘s bench, a sign of the struggle to come between the two men.  As the campaign continued, the trend of sitting on the sideline did not subside, as Chelsea’s former stud played ninety minutes in just three of the Blues’ thirty-three Premier League matches.

Soon, Mata became frustrated, and, after a spat with his manager after being taken off yet again with a substitute before the sixty-fifth minute, he demanded a transfer to move away from Stamford Bridge.  The names of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Manchester United, all high-caliber clubs with great track records all went into the rumor mill as analysts picked different destinations for the crafty Spaniard.  Although the Chelsea upper management hoped to keep Mata outside of the Premier League, they were willing to hear all offers.

So, when Manchester United offered thirty-five million pounds for Mata, the Blues took interest.  After a series of negotiations where the price was eventually raised to thirty-seven million pounds, Mata packed up his bags to make a quick move to Old Trafford in time for a training session with his new team.

Although at this point I can respect the deal as beneficial to both sides, as Manchester United gets the playmaker David Moyes so desperately needs and Chelsea receives a good price for their all-star bench-sitter, I simply cannot understand how Chelsea got to this point with such a talented midfielder.

While Mata sat on the sidelines, Mourihno turned to his midfielding counterpart, Ramires, a Brazilian player who will never live up to Mata’s playmaking ability.  The results have been okay, but certainly nothing that Mourihno would have hoped for.  While Ramires’ play has not been bad, he has only acquired one goal and two assists through twenty-one matches, a mark that Mata surely would have eclipsed.  In fact, in Mata’s last full Premier League season, he garnered twelve goals and twelve assists in just thirty-one games, only ten more than the number Ramires sits at now.

So, as Mata dons his Manchester United red for the first time this weekend, do not be suprised if he helps bring together Moyes’ team, and they make a bolt up the standings.  On this move, the “Special One” may have miscalculated.