Jose Mourinho must swallow pride and play Juan Mata

Juan Mata

Chelsea confirmed their place among the last 16 in the Champions League despite their 1-0 defeat to Basel, but Jose Mourinho will be desperately unhappy with their performance.

It was a concerning display from the London club’s perspective and the Blues were poor in every department.

Considering Chelsea’s failings throughout the match, the Portuguese coach’s decision to leave Juan Mata on the bench was rather peculiar.

The Spaniard has fallen behind Eden Hazard and Oscar in the pecking order since Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge and remained an unused sub against the Swiss side.

During this fixture, the Blues were dominated by Basel and only managed to attain 48% of the possession. They completed less passes than the home side (338-304) with a poorer total completion accuracy (81%-77%) and they also had significantly less shots (15-1).

Oscar has taken on the central playmaking role in Mata’s absence and has proven to be a worthy replacement, with six goals so far this season. But the Brazilian looked lacklustre in this match, unable to make an impact during his time on the pitch.

Chelsea struggled in the final third and did not test Yann Sommer in the Basel goal once. The club’s one strike from Ramires fell well wide of the target. This shot epitomized the frustration felt by the Blues throughout the entirety of the match.

With Mata’s experience and skill in the middle, perhaps Chelsea would have exerted more authority on the game enabling them to establish greater control over possession. The Spaniard’s arrival would have provided Chelsea with much needed creativity going forward and his tremendous ability to retain the ball would have been of great benefit.

The 25-year-old have appeared just seven times in the league this season, and twice in the Champions League. During his time on the field, he has created 22 chances with one assist to his name. His passing accuracy is particularly noteworthy, with a completion rate of 86% in Europe and 89% in the EPL. Clearly, Mata is the complete playmaker.

The Spaniards goal scoring threat has been dearly missed throughout the early stage of Chelsea’s campaign. Last term he scored 12 goals in 35 league appearances, whilst creating 95 chances. When given plenty of game time, Mata is an unstoppable force. It is hard to understand why Mourinho is opting to leave him out of his current Chelsea team.

Had Mata made an appearance he probably would have changed the game for the Blues, as he has done so many times in the past. The two-time Chelsea Player of the Year is currently being wasted at Stamford Bridge and with the winter transfer window approaching, it really would not be a surprise to see him plying his trade elsewhere, come January.