Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,265
Re point (b). Gross is approaching 31, Mata is already 34. Last 3 Prem seasons:
Gross: 92 apps, 7 goals, 16 assists
Mata: 36 apps, 1 goal, 4 assists.
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- Thread starter Bladders
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Re point (b). Gross is approaching 31, Mata is already 34. Last 3 Prem seasons:
Gross: 92 apps, 7 goals, 16 assists
Mata: 36 apps, 1 goal, 4 assists.
Was mentioned on the radio this morning……..one of the presenters had a ‘hunch’ he was coming our way and cited that he’s good mates with El Capitan.
Mata has been mismanaged at Man U. Gross was brilliant for us when he joined but has deteriorated badly and was poor this season with the exception of the last two home games. Stats misleading IMHO.
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- May 8, 2018
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BBD apparently of to the champions of Europe according to the Daily Mirror
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,265
Mourinho, Solskjaer and Rangnick have all looked at Mata and ignored him. He's been content to sit on the sidelines, wind down his contract, leave on a free and put himself in prime position for a big wage from one of Spain's second tier clubs.
As for Gross, I'll give you he has lacked consistency but to claim he has been poor is harsh. He's versatile and influential and has seen off Lallana and Alzate, as well as keeping younger players like Leonard out of the side, and he fully deserves another contract for his Cruyff turns alone.
This is just simply not true. Gross is a fantastic footballer (still) who creates loads of "big chances" even when not getting credited with an assist if they don't come off. But he lacks in pace as we all know. Putting him in a formation where he can be more the "number 10" he was when he first came happened later in the season and we could afford to do it with Caicedo, MacAllister and Mwepu all able and willing to play as box to box midfielders.
When you're playing him deeper and with another slower guy like Lallana then he looks worse than he is.
The genius of Potter was to reset in the break we had after Norwich and come up with a formation that best used all our midfield assets (and handily cut off supply to Kane and Son against Spurs). It really was good coaching but it could only be done when Ali Mac was comfortable playing anywhere in midfield and we'd recalled and selected Moises.
Personally I don’t think Gross has earned another contract. He just doesn’t fit with Potterball IMHO. That said, GP does seem to love him
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I agree with all of that. Especially Gross far too slow bit
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Blue Valkyrie
Not seen such Bravery!
Who is BBD ?
Frankworthington
Well-known member
Sorry mate you should stick to your striker rant
No way should Mata be mentioned in the same breath as Gross. He is older and even slower, has he ever stepped up to the plate at Manure? No!!
Thankfully our Graham has realised Gross is not a holding midfielder or right-back and moved him forward so he can do some damage. It is hard to see Mata picking a pass like he does
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,265
I would say he fits "Potterball" perfectly. He is so intelligent he can do a job almost anywhere on the pitch. I'll tell you who DOESN'T fit Potterball - Lallana. 54 appearances, 1 goal, 2 assists, not strong enough for a DCM berth, not productive enough for an ACM berth, not pacy enough to play out wide.
Sorry! But that is nonsense. Gross never has and never will be a patch on Mata. You should stick to your striker nonsense BTW.
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Gross slower. Gross did do a job at RB. A ****ing awful one. Lala a much better player IMHO
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Weststander
Well-known member
It was more than just 2 home games imho, he really upped his game in the last month or so. The March/Gross combo particularly brilliant.
Weststander
Well-known member
Brilliant performance/wins at mega spending Spuds and Arse.
Weststander
Well-known member
A couple of months ago on nsc I posted about the decline of Gross, his key stats were way below those in the CH era. To me, time seemed to have caught up with an already slow player, no loss to wave a fond farewell. An unpopular post!
I was then pleasantly surprised by the resurgence in his game. Oozing all round quality, plus he seemed to get back the legs of a 25 year old Pascal Gross. Such a smart creative player, always forward thinking like Lallana, incredibly hard to dislodge the ball from.
I’m glad I was wrong in the end.
Last edited:
Stato
Well-known member
- Dec 21, 2011
- 7,367
A couple of years ago, when he knocked us out of the League Cup, I'd have snapped your hand off for Juan Mata. At his best, he was one of the finest midfielders in Europe. Like Lallana, I can see that he could be the sort of pro you might want to have around the club to help bring youngsters through. He's won trophies throughout his career, including the Champions League and, alright, he was a squad player, but he's won the bloody World Cup! I can't see him playing the number of games that Pascal still can, but if the club see some advantage in bringing him in, then great.
Blue Valkyrie
Not seen such Bravery!
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