Player Update: Can Chelsea afford to ignore Juan Mata?

A recent poster of Assassins Creed Black Flag poster associated itself with Juan Mata as Edward Kenway, a Pirate Assassin. And they aren’t too far off from reality. Mata is similar to the protagonist – an Assassin. He is unlike the opponents, who love facing head on. He plays unconventionally, attacking slyly with a burning desire to win for his club, Chelsea. Mata is one of the most coveted players on the club circuits, performing impressively at Valencia and then at Chelsea in the previous seasons. Wanting to take up newer challenges, he moved to Chelsea at a surprisingly small amount of £23.5 million in 2011. At Chelsea, he has performed impressively, assisting Chelsea in entering the Champions League. In addition, he bagged awards like Chelsea Player of the Year twice and being part of the winning Europa League winning team. Mata was always known to be an attacking player, though he is known to be selfless, setting up his teammates many a time in scoring goals like the 8-0 rout of Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, an equally important transition was taking place; that of Chelsea bringing back their previously highly successful coach, Jose Mourinho. And he is back with a vengeance to change the way Chelsea has played in the years he was at Real Madrid. Mourinho is a coach who is known to be highly committed and expects the same from his team, who often respond to his management style. However, he is also known to be an autocrat many a times, choosing players based on ‘his style’ of playing, rather than utilizing their strengths. In this backdrop, Mata, who was one of the most favored players, has been playing second fiddle to Oscar, the young recruit from Brazil, who moved from Sao Paulo FC to Chelsea. 

Since Mourinho’s return to Chelsea, Mata has been at the receiving end of his coach’s barbs on his playing style, playing mostly as substitute and not being a part of the starting lineup. Mata has been repeatedly told to change his ‘playing style’. Despite this, Mata has been praised for handling with situation very diplomatically, accepting gracefully that he needs to improve. It is not known whether Mourinho is tactfully trying to change Mata’s playing style to suit Chelsea’s needs or deliberately sidelining him in favor of Oscar and the established Torres. However, sidelining Mata could have disastrous consequences. Chelsea need him more than ever, placed precariously in the Premier League Table, halfway through with dreams of various titles at every level. Chelsea badly needs to win a Premier League or Champions League title to regain their lost glory that they attained under Mourinho in 2004-06 seasons. And for this, they need all the firepower they can muster.

Mourinho has previously changed the way Joe Cole played during his stint at Chelsea, molding him to be a better player. Mourinho is a coach who believes in a strong defense and detests Mata, who is weak at defense. However, too much isolation and denial of opportunities can affect any player, Mata being no different. Mata is one of the best players when it comes to passing and scoring, replicating his performance repeatedly, scoring and assisting extensively in FA Cup and Champions League. At an age of 25, a player like Mata can always find greener pastures in Manchester United, a club known to value top players. Mata has been muted; however a player like Mata cannot lie low for long. He is an ambitious player, who wants to make it big, both at club level and internationally for Spain. Denying Mata the opportunity will be similar to killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

Money is never in short in the world of football, especially for a player like Mata. Most big clubs are ready to splurge and Mata would be a player they would be glad to spend upon. Mata is sticking to Chelsea in the hopes that he could replicate the way Torres rose from ashes to become a better player that he is now. With Chelsea chasing Rooney, Mata will be more than tempted to look towards other teams like Spanish giants Real Madrid or Barcelona. No promising player of Mata’s caliber would like to play second fiddle to a player of similar caliber. With Oscar, De Bruyne and Bertrand Traore all showing their true potential and Mata not being given chances, Mourinho is sending the message that he trusts in the capabilities of others more than Mata.

Chelsea is in a good situation, with a potent coach like Mourinho. However, in order to get the best out of the team, Mourinho has to ensure he doesn’t alienate any of the major players at stake; yet train them tactfully to suit his requirements by utilizing their strengths. Mata is a player most clubs would love to have, backed by an excellent track record. Unless Chelsea gives him the right opportunities to prove his mettle, Mata will be a lost cause, a loss that only Mourinho and Chelsea will have to take the blame for.