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Post by CaajScot on Sept 23, 2016 18:54:14 GMT
| FOOTBALL NEWS
23/09/2016 18:45, Report by Adam Marshall
MATA NOT SURPRISED BY HARSH CRITICISM
Juan Mata says Manchester United are focused on proving the critics wrong, starting with Saturday's Premier League encounter against champions Leicester City.
The Spain international has seen the team and individuals face some real flak in the wake of three defeats in eight days but the win at Northampton Town in the EFL Cup has at least quietened some of the negative noise surrounding the club. When asked by MUTV if he was surprised by the intensity of the criticism, Mata replied: "No, because I feel there are always a lot of people talking about Manchester United, obviously one of the biggest clubs in the world. "There is a lot of repercussion when we do well and not do that well. Obviously, there were a lot of people waiting for Manchester United defeats and we got it and have to face it and deal with it. Me, as a professional footballer, and all my team-mates, we don't focus on that. "We don't focus too much on what people say or journalists write and all those things. If you start thinking about every single comment, you'd go crazy and can't play football. You have to focus on what you have to do on the pitch, train well, get ready for the game and then deliver your best level." Many non-United fans will have been hoping for an upset at Northampton in midweek, and their hopes may have been raised when the Cobblers drew level at 1-1, but Mata was understandably happy there was no giant-killing to give more fuel to the critics. "There are a lot of people waiting for us to do wrong and we have to show them that they can keep waiting," he added. "We want to win the tournaments we are in. We can have one or two bad games but, at the end of the day, we know we have a good squad that can compete and hopefully we can do that. We know that, in some kinds of our football, we can improve and that's what we are trying to do. "When you lose, your level of confidence is not the same as if you win but it's not as bad as people want us to be and, when we win, it's not as good as some people want us to think. So, for me, the key is just to have this balance and to know what we can improve and what we are doing well to try to win football games." Hear more from Juan Mata on MUTV's Countdown to Kick-Off at 18:30 BST on Friday and Match Day Live at 11:30 BST on Saturday.www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Sep/juan-mata-tells-mutv-manchester-united-need-to-answer-critics-against-leicester.aspx
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Post by CaajScot on Sept 25, 2016 7:27:58 GMT
| FOOTBALL NEWS25/09/2016 07:10, Report by Nathan Salt
MATA: WE NEEDED THIS RESULT
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata claimed the emphatic 4-1 win over Premier League champions Leicester City was the perfect response to recent criticism of the Reds.
The Spanish playmaker's return to the starting line-up was one of eight changes from the midweek EFL Cup win over Northampton Town and he scored one and assisted another goal in the team's standout performance of the season so far. “I think we needed something like this,” admitted Mata, acknowledging United had gone into the sixth Premier League game after losing the fourth and fifth to Manchester City and Watford. “There has been a lot of talk about the team in recent weeks but we scored four different goals and showed what we could do. “Once you score the first one and the second one, you gain confidence and it’s great for the fans because it’s been a while since they have had something to celebrate like this.” As the goals flew in during a frantic 20-minute spell, Mata scored his second of the season, having also found the net with United's first Premier League strike of 2016/17, at Bournemouth on the opening weekend. He told MUTV: “It was a nice goal but the most important thing was that it came at an important moment in the game. After we scored the first goal, Leicester were still in the game so the second goal and then the third goal killed off the game.” The Spaniard's left-footed strike to round off a fine team move was the only one of United's four goals against Leicester that didn't come from a Daley Blind corner. Mata's fellow midfielder Paul Pogba joined Chris Smalling in scoring with a header and when another setpiece fell to Juan, he teed up Marcus Rashford for a close-range finish. "We have always worked on corners," commented Mata. "As a team we try to get the ball into the box for someone to put it in the back of the net. We tried it a few times last season but it didn't work. Now we know we have strong people, tall people to head the ball in." More: Watch all the United v Leicester goals in our highlights video. www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Sep/player-reaction-juan-mata-discusses-manchester-united-4-leicester-city-1-in-premier-league.aspx
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Post by CaajScot on Sept 27, 2016 13:36:33 GMT
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Post by grandpaTJ on Sept 27, 2016 23:45:25 GMT
^A thing of incredible Beauty, and so much quality on the bench which allows Jose to really play
specifically to an opponent, and take advantage of their weaknesses, or put a slap on their "big guns"
Gonna be wonderful to see it all come together over the course of the season.
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Post by Kamilo on Sept 28, 2016 16:27:45 GMT
"First of all, I didn't sell him," Mourinho said. "My job is not to buy and sell. My job is to coach, to work on the pitch and to advise my board about the transfer policy.
"Secondly, it was Juan that asked to leave and when a player asks to leave, I think always you have to think twice.
"And the third point is that my idea for football with the squad and objectives we had at Chelsea is one thing, and the squad I have at Man United and the profile and what I try to do with this club is a completely different situation.
"So Juan at Chelsea in my project was one player, and Juan in my project at Man United is another thing."
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Post by CaajScot on Sept 28, 2016 18:18:00 GMT
| FOOTBALL NEWS
 28/09/2016 16:00, Report by Gemma Thompson
MATA HAS FOUND HIS "NATURAL HABITAT"
Jose Mourinho believes, in Manchester United, Juan Mata has found a "very good natural habitat" to best display his football skills.
The Reds boss was asked about his time working with Mata at Chelsea and now at United, how the two styles of football compare at each club and importance of the Spanish playmaker within those styles. And in the current Reds side, Mourinho reckons Mata is a perfect fit. "There are big differences," the manager told reporters at his press conference ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash with Zorya Luhansk, when asked about the comparisons of United's play to Chelsea's. "In Man United I have no players to play transitional football as the main objective. We are not so physically strong and compact like we [Chelsea] were playing in a defensive block when we won the title in 2014/15. "We [United] are in the beginning of that process, but the football we want to play here is different and I think it is very adapted to his [Mata's] qualities. We need players with his qualities, so I think he found a very good natural habitat for his football to play with us." Mourinho continued: "My idea of football with the squad I had at Chelsea and the objectives we had at Chelsea is one thing but the football I want to play at Man United, the profile of my squad and what I want to try to do in this club is a completely different situation. So I think Juan in my project at Chelsea was a good player and in my project at Man United he is a very good player." Watch MUTV's interview with Mourinho on Match Day Live from 19:00 BST on Thursday.
Tickets for Thursday's Europa League match at Old Trafford are on sale to supporters, with all seats for under 16s priced at just £10. To book or find more information, visit www.manutd.com/uel.www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Sep/Jose-Mourinho-believes-Juan-Mata-has-found-his-natural-habitat-at-Manchester-United.aspx
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Post by grandpaTJ on Sept 29, 2016 0:57:01 GMT
This makes absolute sense to ^^ Have said it before, a good manager (or great manager) sees his players and puts together a strategy
which fits their qualities. LvG came in and insisted all players adapt to his idea of strategy, and it was a disaster. Jose comes in and
builds the strategy to suit his players, and that is how titles are won.
This is going to be the beginning of a new run of championships for Man United, and I still believe that Jose will hang around for
a long time bringing home the silverware
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Post by CaajScot on Sept 30, 2016 12:51:52 GMT
| FOOTBALL NEWS
30/09/2016 08:36, Report by Mark Froggatt
MATA: WE MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ZLATAN
Juan Mata has revealed the Manchester United players are working hard to utilise Zlatan Ibrahimovic's strengths, after the Swede hit his sixth goal of the season on Thursday night.
The Swedish striker notched the only goal in the Europa League win over Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford, latching onto Wayne Rooney’s mishit shot to calmly head past the goalkeeper at the back post. Ibrahimovic, who turns 35 on Monday, is proving himself to be a highly effective target man for the Reds based on his first 10 appearances with the club. However, Mata still feels the players can make more of his talents, particularly when the towering number nine drops into a deeper position. “We know that when Zlatan is playing up front, he comes to create great assists and great passes,” the Spaniard told MUTV on Wednesday night. “We have to run behind him because we need depth in the game. We tried to do that in the first and second half. He gives a lot as a striker and he gives a lot when he comes to play as a midfielder as well. We have to take advantage of that.” Jose Mourinho made four changes for the match against Zorya but interestingly stuck with the same front four – Lingard, Mata, Rashford, Ibrahimovic – that started against Leicester City on Saturday. That group of players are able to interchange positions quite freely and Mata is embracing the fluidity. “Yeah, I felt good, I enjoyed being on the pitch tonight,” Juan told us. “It is good to play with players like them, and with Paul [Pogba] coming forward as well with quick football. We tried to do that because that is the way we can play with this team and we can succeed with this.” Thursday’s win over Zorya was particularly important following the 1-0 defeat at Feyenoord in Group A earlier in September and Mata is now looking forward to Sunday’s Premier League return against Stoke City, the third match in a row at Old Trafford. “This was a key win,” he explained after the final whistle. “After losing in Holland, we needed to win tonight and now we can look forward to Sunday’s match against Stoke. After the bad week, we knew that we had three games at Old Trafford. We have won two of them and now we are really focused on winning the last one before the international break.” www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Sep/Juan-Mata-discusses-Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-after-Europa-League-win-over-Zorya-Luhansk.aspx
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2016 13:53:29 GMT
| FOOTBALL NEWS
30/09/2016 08:36, Report by Mark Froggatt
MATA: WE MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ZLATAN
Juan Mata has revealed the Manchester United players are working hard to utilise Zlatan Ibrahimovic's strengths, after the Swede hit his sixth goal of the season on Thursday night.
The Swedish striker notched the only goal in the Europa League win over Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford, latching onto Wayne Rooney’s mishit shot to calmly head past the goalkeeper at the back post. Ibrahimovic, who turns 35 on Monday, is proving himself to be a highly effective target man for the Reds based on his first 10 appearances with the club. However, Mata still feels the players can make more of his talents, particularly when the towering number nine drops into a deeper position. “We know that when Zlatan is playing up front, he comes to create great assists and great passes,” the Spaniard told MUTV on Wednesday night. “We have to run behind him because we need depth in the game. We tried to do that in the first and second half. He gives a lot as a striker and he gives a lot when he comes to play as a midfielder as well. We have to take advantage of that.” Jose Mourinho made four changes for the match against Zorya but interestingly stuck with the same front four – Lingard, Mata, Rashford, Ibrahimovic – that started against Leicester City on Saturday. That group of players are able to interchange positions quite freely and Mata is embracing the fluidity. “Yeah, I felt good, I enjoyed being on the pitch tonight,” Juan told us. “It is good to play with players like them, and with Paul [Pogba] coming forward as well with quick football. We tried to do that because that is the way we can play with this team and we can succeed with this.” Thursday’s win over Zorya was particularly important following the 1-0 defeat at Feyenoord in Group A earlier in September and Mata is now looking forward to Sunday’s Premier League return against Stoke City, the third match in a row at Old Trafford. “This was a key win,” he explained after the final whistle. “After losing in Holland, we needed to win tonight and now we can look forward to Sunday’s match against Stoke. After the bad week, we knew that we had three games at Old Trafford. We have won two of them and now we are really focused on winning the last one before the international break.” www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Sep/Juan-Mata-discusses-Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-after-Europa-League-win-over-Zorya-Luhansk.aspx Horrible twat. I wish he posted wanky Instagram videos instead of stuff like this. I hate him and his blog. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 9:33:00 GMT
www.football365.com/news/disabled-man-united-fan-made-up-to-meet-mataJuan Mata left a disabled Manchester United fan “absolutely made up” after greeting him at Old Trafford and arranging a match ticket for him, the boy’s father has said. Video footage circulated on social media over the weekend of Mata delaying the departure of United’s team bus for training after he recognised nine-year-old Alex Nield in his wheelchair near the players’ exit and jogged over to give him a hug and speak to him. Alex’s father, Jon Nield, told BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday: “It was just a magical moment. Alex did actually meet Juan Mata after the Norwich game last season. “We’d called in to Old Trafford to meet a friend and he said ‘the players are due shortly to get on the coach’, so we hot-footed to the Stretford End. “Juan had immediately clocked Alex so after he’d gone through the line of people he shot over. A friend of ours, Leon (Labko), captured it all and put it on Facebook and it’s just gone absolutely crazy.” Further videos on Labko’s Facebook page show Mata’s team-mates Matteo Darmian and Ander Herrera also posing for photographs with Alex, who has cerebral palsy. But it is his reunion with Mata which has struck a chord – particularly after the midfielder arranged an extra treat. “He even tried to sort him out a ticket because we didn’t have one for Sunday’s game,” said Jon. “We managed to get in to watch the second half – he contacted the club, Juan Mata – so I take my hat off to him. “It’s just a wonderful moment, how he comes over, gives Alex a hug, remembers his name. It was just so touching that a player who everyone sees, (who’s so) high-profile, can spend the time to do that for my son, it was brilliant. “(Alex) is absolutely made up. He probably thinks he’s best mates with him, it’s quite surreal really! “He was so, so happy that he came over, you see the delight on his face as he’s chatting to him.”
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 9:54:41 GMT
Hi everyone,
As I’m writing this I’m feeling angry because the team played really well but we didn’t win… We drew against Stoke, as you know, and I feel that we were very close to get the third win in eight days. It was a pity, that’s the truth. My perception from the pitch was that we were playing a good game, creating chances, passing the ball effectively, but we couldn’t complete our job. We have to take the positive aspects and know that if we keep playing like this, we will definitely get good results.
After a bad week with several defeats we did what we had to do: stand up and keep working hard to change that. We got to the next round in the EFL Cup, had a solid win against Leicester and defeated Zorya with work and experience. Against Stoke, the team was full of confidence and we wanted to keep the good streak. We did it in terms of football and the way we played, but not in the score.
We went for the victory since the beginning, we were better than Stoke and we felt that Old Trafford was supporting our effort. In the first half, we were very close to get a goal several times. We have to give credit to Grant for his great performance. In the second half we finally opened the score with a very nice goal from Martial, but in the last few minutes they took advantage of a good play to tie the game. We gave everything until the end but we were unable to get those three points that were so important and that (with all due respect to our rival) I think we deserved.
With only one point instead of three we are not in the best mood to take the international break, but we are aware that, at our level, everything is possible this season. We have five games in October that are very important and we will give our best to make it a good month. Manchester United has always had challenges and the one we have this season is still there.
Many times in sports you must learn to accept those games when, even if you do many things well, you don’t win. That is football, and that’s why it’s such a nice and exciting sport.
Having a look at other European leagues, there have been a few ‘surprises’; we are not the only team that didn’t win this weekend. In Spain, for instance, Eibar was able to grab a point from Santiago Bernabeu, and right afterwards Celta defeated Barcelona after an spectacular first half. There are no easy games. Even Atletico, although they had plenty of chances, struggled to beat Valencia. My former team is trying to go back to the place they deserve. Alves saved two penalties and, fighting with pride, Valencia was close to tie the game until they conceded a second goal at the end. It’s a big win for Atletico only a few days after a victory against Bayern (by the way, another team that couldn’t win, in this case at home against Cologne).
I’m signing off now. We’ll be back to the competition in two weeks in Anfield. It’s a massive game and we are looking forward to start working on it. Right now it’s time to rest and switch off. I will keep you posted 😉
Have a nice week. Hugs,
Juan Mata
Juan
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Post by CaajScot on Oct 3, 2016 10:01:45 GMT
Some may run this guy down and don't like him but give me one Juan any day than 10 fucking potato heads.  |
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Post by grandpaTJ on Oct 3, 2016 18:02:15 GMT
Some may run this guy down and don't like him but give me one Juan any day than 10thousand fucking potato heads. Juan is a beautiful person, pure class. The match was frustrating as hell, but the video of him remembering that little guy and taking time for him makes me feel good about the world  |
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Post by RAZ on Oct 3, 2016 18:26:22 GMT
Some may run this guy down and don't like him but give me one Juan any day than 10 fucking potato heads. i dont understand how people cant like this guy... |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2016 18:53:03 GMT
Some may run this guy down and don't like him but give me one Juan any day than 10 fucking potato heads. i dont understand how people cant like this guy... They're scared of the feelings he makes them have, denial denial denial. |
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