The one thing that is at the forefront of every Chelsea supporter's mind is "why-oh-why is Juan Mata being sold and that too to rivals?". I've been of the same mind, but with events elsewhere falling into place, things have started to get just a little bit clearer. The answer lies in Switzerland of all places. While many people are holding onto the remote hope that Mata will choose to turn down the transfer, speaking rationally, I can say that the transfer is already done in the minds of all parties involved and there is nothing that will stop it from going through. So, what is the master plan behind all the smoke and mirrors? Has Jose Mourinho, the most cunning manager in the football world finally lost it? Not at all. If all goes well, Chelsea will be stronger than ever before. In order to properly explain the transfer, a bit of background is required.
When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea, he put Joe Cole through the gauntlet and turned him from a good player to a great player. Before he could do that, he destroyed the player that he used to be. Joe Cole listened to what Jose Mourinho had to say and went on to the best years of his careers. In the second coming of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, he isolated Juan Mata from his position, instead choosing to play him out on the right wing. Mata was initially bought by Chelsea as a winger and moved in to the centre out of desperation. With those desperate times behind us and a packed group of central attacking midfielders, it made sense to move Juan Mata back out to the wings. However, as Mata had grown into his new position, the transition back to his old one was met with resistance.
Furthermore, while Mata's touch on the ball remains one of the best in the world, he lacks pace. This might invite skepticism from most as Juan Mata is as fast as most premier league players in his movement in attack, however, Chelsea have always had a slightly above average team in terms of sheer speed. With Oscar or Eden Hazard spearheading quick attacks, Juan Mata has been left behind a couple times this season. This was not readily apparent as Mata's ability to set up excellent through balls and play perfect passes kept him very much in the game.
Finally, this brings us to the biggest point of contention. Juan Mata does not pay as much attention as he should to his defensive duties. This is a nagging fact that no Chelsea fan can ignore. I've seen Fernando Torres more involved in defence at times than Juan Mata. Also, with Oscar stepping up his standards this season has done Juan Mata no favours.
So, Jose Mourinho turns to Andre Schhurle, a constant long range goal threat, and the possibility of signing Mohamed Saleh from Basel (here lies the Switzerland connection!) as his new right wingers. With Saleh all set to join Chelsea, we will have an incredibly fast attacking front capable of stunning counter-attacks. Saleh will play on the right wing with Oscar down the centre and Eden Hazard on the left wing. Andre Schhurle will have to content himself with appearances either in cups or in the league as a central midfielder with a lot more defensive duties than what he is used to playing up front. The skill of the front line will also have Willian at its disposal further deepening the attacking options. This team will not only have the good counter-attacking qualities of the Mourinho teams of old, but will also have a lot more skill at playing in tight spaces. This second part is apparent in the signings of Nemanja Matic, the encouragement given to Marco Van Ginkel and the refusal to sell Oriol Romeu. All three central defensive midfielders are as good as the attacking front when it comes to playing against packed midfields. Ramires will remain the constant as far as I can see, though he might be rested a bit more during cup games (such as the F.A cup and the Capital One Cup).
Selling Juan Mata to Manchester United just might be the boldest thing "The Special One" has ever done in his illustrious career. There are many theories circulating as to why a transfer to a rival has been sanctioned. The one that seems to make the most sense is that as Chelsea will not play against Manchester United again this season, Juan Mata will not be able to harm their bid for the title. Instead, he will be able to harm Arsenal's march on the title as Manchester United will play Arsenal a little down the road. This just may be the only way Chelsea can clinch the title this season. This reasoning is however flawed as it is incredibly short - sighted as Jose Mourinho is here to stay and will definitely be thinking about the next season even now. So, other than winning the league, what other reason might Chelsea have for selling Juan Mata? One thing that comes to mind are the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. With Manchester United panicking, Chelsea have the luxury of selling Juan Mata at the highest possible price. As a Chelsea fan, I personally cannot think of any sum great enough to consider selling Juan Mata, however, Jose Mourinho is not a Chelsea fan, he's the manager. Going into the next season without violating the FFP rules will give Chelsea more room to dictate other teams to follow the same rules and keep it in good standing with UEFA. Barcelona (for signing Neymar) and Bayern Munich (for signing a number of Borussia Dortmund players) have been spending wantonly on a plethora of players, but their team - strengthening might yet be their downfall as the FFP rules just might disqualify them from the Champions League. This leaves Chelsea as the prime title contender among other smaller, albeit highly skilled teams.
Considering that the Chelsea official website has already announced the signing of Mohamed Salah (pending personal terms and a medical), it's safe to say the Juan Mata is as good as gone. We shall remember him for the joy he brought to all of us Chelsea fans throughout his years at the bridge, but from here on out, he will be the single Manchester United player I will not denigrate given the opportunity.
I wish him good luck and sincerely hope he gets to the finals of the World Cup 2014!
[P.S : The Germans will crush the Spanish in what should be one amazing match!]
When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea, he put Joe Cole through the gauntlet and turned him from a good player to a great player. Before he could do that, he destroyed the player that he used to be. Joe Cole listened to what Jose Mourinho had to say and went on to the best years of his careers. In the second coming of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, he isolated Juan Mata from his position, instead choosing to play him out on the right wing. Mata was initially bought by Chelsea as a winger and moved in to the centre out of desperation. With those desperate times behind us and a packed group of central attacking midfielders, it made sense to move Juan Mata back out to the wings. However, as Mata had grown into his new position, the transition back to his old one was met with resistance.
Furthermore, while Mata's touch on the ball remains one of the best in the world, he lacks pace. This might invite skepticism from most as Juan Mata is as fast as most premier league players in his movement in attack, however, Chelsea have always had a slightly above average team in terms of sheer speed. With Oscar or Eden Hazard spearheading quick attacks, Juan Mata has been left behind a couple times this season. This was not readily apparent as Mata's ability to set up excellent through balls and play perfect passes kept him very much in the game.
Finally, this brings us to the biggest point of contention. Juan Mata does not pay as much attention as he should to his defensive duties. This is a nagging fact that no Chelsea fan can ignore. I've seen Fernando Torres more involved in defence at times than Juan Mata. Also, with Oscar stepping up his standards this season has done Juan Mata no favours.
So, Jose Mourinho turns to Andre Schhurle, a constant long range goal threat, and the possibility of signing Mohamed Saleh from Basel (here lies the Switzerland connection!) as his new right wingers. With Saleh all set to join Chelsea, we will have an incredibly fast attacking front capable of stunning counter-attacks. Saleh will play on the right wing with Oscar down the centre and Eden Hazard on the left wing. Andre Schhurle will have to content himself with appearances either in cups or in the league as a central midfielder with a lot more defensive duties than what he is used to playing up front. The skill of the front line will also have Willian at its disposal further deepening the attacking options. This team will not only have the good counter-attacking qualities of the Mourinho teams of old, but will also have a lot more skill at playing in tight spaces. This second part is apparent in the signings of Nemanja Matic, the encouragement given to Marco Van Ginkel and the refusal to sell Oriol Romeu. All three central defensive midfielders are as good as the attacking front when it comes to playing against packed midfields. Ramires will remain the constant as far as I can see, though he might be rested a bit more during cup games (such as the F.A cup and the Capital One Cup).
Selling Juan Mata to Manchester United just might be the boldest thing "The Special One" has ever done in his illustrious career. There are many theories circulating as to why a transfer to a rival has been sanctioned. The one that seems to make the most sense is that as Chelsea will not play against Manchester United again this season, Juan Mata will not be able to harm their bid for the title. Instead, he will be able to harm Arsenal's march on the title as Manchester United will play Arsenal a little down the road. This just may be the only way Chelsea can clinch the title this season. This reasoning is however flawed as it is incredibly short - sighted as Jose Mourinho is here to stay and will definitely be thinking about the next season even now. So, other than winning the league, what other reason might Chelsea have for selling Juan Mata? One thing that comes to mind are the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. With Manchester United panicking, Chelsea have the luxury of selling Juan Mata at the highest possible price. As a Chelsea fan, I personally cannot think of any sum great enough to consider selling Juan Mata, however, Jose Mourinho is not a Chelsea fan, he's the manager. Going into the next season without violating the FFP rules will give Chelsea more room to dictate other teams to follow the same rules and keep it in good standing with UEFA. Barcelona (for signing Neymar) and Bayern Munich (for signing a number of Borussia Dortmund players) have been spending wantonly on a plethora of players, but their team - strengthening might yet be their downfall as the FFP rules just might disqualify them from the Champions League. This leaves Chelsea as the prime title contender among other smaller, albeit highly skilled teams.
Considering that the Chelsea official website has already announced the signing of Mohamed Salah (pending personal terms and a medical), it's safe to say the Juan Mata is as good as gone. We shall remember him for the joy he brought to all of us Chelsea fans throughout his years at the bridge, but from here on out, he will be the single Manchester United player I will not denigrate given the opportunity.
I wish him good luck and sincerely hope he gets to the finals of the World Cup 2014!
[P.S : The Germans will crush the Spanish in what should be one amazing match!]
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