The patient Juan. The best things come to those who wait. And Juan Mata has been nothing if not patient. The first quarter of this campaign has contained the first, unforeseen stalling of the 25-year-olds Chelsea career following two extremely successful seasons, during which he has helped the Blues win both of Europes major club competitions and claimed their player of the year award twice in succession. Yet so far in 2013/14 he has started less than half of his sides Premier League games and was notably consigned to the bench for the encounters against both Manchester clubs and Tottenham. Jose Mourinho has insinuated the player is not yet disciplined enough defensively for a role within the Portugueses desired system. However, in the 2-0 Capital One Cup victory over Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday, Matas superb performance belied his managers criticism and his recently-enforced fringe-status. His guile and touch have never been in doubt, but on Tuesday these were complimented by a renewed focus and work-rate. He offered a constant outlet to cornered opponents, made a number of key interceptions to halt Arsenal attacks and misplaced just two of his 54 passes throughout the game. Thats a 96.30% completion rate. To top it all, he also began the move that led to Cesar Azpilicuetas first goal and scored the second himself with a swerving drive from the edge of the box after deftly controlling Willians header. As an advert for his future involvement, it could not have been more convincing. Tuesday night (against Arsenal) was a happy night for everyone, Mata told Sky Sports. Personally, I was happy that I was able to help the team with a goal. I am happy because I played and that is all I want to do. Football is what happens on the pitch, when we have to go out and do the job and that is when I enjoy it the most. Yesterday is a day to be proud of the team. Matas situation is a common one at the very top of the modern club game, where large, talent-packed squads leads to rotation and the possibility of stints out of the first XI for even the very best players. This is certainly the case at Chelsea, especially in Matas position, where they have Brazilian international Oscar, Balon dOr nominee Eden Hazard, club royalty Frank Lampard, highly-rated German Andre Schurrle and recent big-money signing Willian leading the race for places, with Kevin De Bruyne and Marco van Ginkel waiting in the wings. Mourinho has already made it known that Oscar - one of the leagues in-form players - is his chosen number 10 - the role Mata covets. And while the Spaniard denied that his manager had demanded specific changes to his game, he did admit that he - like any other player in the Blues squad - has to buy into the boss philosophy if he is to cement a spot in the side. He (Mourinho) has a way to play, said Mata, who was speaking at a promotional event for the videogame Assassins Creed: Black Flag. He wants everyone pressing and committed. That is what we have to do.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 16:36:07 +0000
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