IS MATA A PANIC? One experienced Old Trafford observer said before the Sunderland game: Yes Mata is a panic buy - but he is a very good panic buy. All the noises coming out of Manchester United this season were that they felt no need to pursue a player such as Mata or Mesut Ozil because they believed they were well served in this area, with players such as Wayne Rooney, who can play just off the striker, Adnan Januzaj and even Shinji Kagawa in the number 10 slot. MANCHESTER UNITEDS MIDFIELD OPTIONS: Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Marouane Fellaini, Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Adnan Januzaj, Phil Jones, Shinji Kagawa, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Wilfried Zaha. The targets were a left-back, a central midfielder of real authority and also the possibility of buying a central defender. All this has changed. WAS IT BECAUSE OF THE MANNER OF DEFEAT AT STANFORD BRIDGE ON SUNDAY, WHEN JOSE MOURINHOS SIDE BARELY HAD TO MOVE THROUGH THE GEARS TO BEAT A TEAM ONCE REGARDED AS THEIR GREATEST ADVERSARIES? - MANCHESTER UNITED WERE REDUCED TO MARE SPECTATORS AT THE BRIDGE! Was it the very real prospect of missing out on the Champions League that prompted such significant activity? There has been loose talk of Manchester United being able to take one season on the outside looking in at the Champions League on the chin. This is a dangerous assumption as once you are out there is no guarantee you will get back in. Liverpool probably thought they would only be absent for one season after failing in 2010 but they have yet to return, and Matas arrival will be designed to ensure Manchester United avoid that fate. Maybe it was simply the chance to buy a quality player who was available, albeit at a hefty premium, and the opportunity was too good to miss. PANIC is too strong a word but there is certainly surprise at the speed of Uniteds move and the position they have decided is the priority for such heavy spending. THE PROBLEM AT OLD TRAFFORD IS BIGGER THAN JUAN MATA and will not be sorted out overnight.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 08:09:45 +0000
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