Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa: Parallel struggles of two most gifted playmakers in Premier League

At the end of the 2011/12 season Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa were in excellent places, both were playing fantastic football and were highly valued by their respective clubs. Kagawa had just helped Borussia Dortmund to a league and cup double, forming a deadly partnership with Mario Gotze on the way. Mata meanwhile had just capped off an excellent debut season with Chelsea by beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

Flash forward to the present day and things are far bleaker, neither can get a game and both are constantly being linked with moves away from their respective clubs. To both players’ credit neither would appear to have pushed for a move away from their current homes and it would seem as if they have both demonstrated a willingness to fight for their place.

Despite being at clubs with different philosophies both players are suffering for similar reasons as new managers aim to make their mark. Let’s start with Kagawa and his struggles since joining Manchester United are well documented, failing to adapt and perhaps not showing the work rate that Sir Alex Ferguson demanded from his players.

Last season he started just 17 games in the league, making a further three appearances from the bench. This season things have been even tougher for the Japanese international, appearing in just four of his side’s twelve games in the league.

Under Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, Kagawa excelled behind the main striker but at the moment Wayne Rooney occupies that position, playing just off Robin van Persie. Subsequently Kagawa has often been used out wide on the left (as shown by his heat maps), a real waste of a player with precious talents. The problem for Kagawa is that even though van Persie is currently injured Rooney’s tendency to roam means he can’t really be used as an out-and-out striker, or at least Moyes is reluctant to do so.

The other solution to the problem is to play with three attacking midfielders behind van Persie; Rooney, Kagawa and perhaps Adnan Januzaj. The drawback to this of course is that it might leave United a bit vulnerable on the wings, a position where traditionally they’ve been very strong. Clearly Kagawa is wasted on the wings and a move to maximise playing time in his preferred role, and get his career back on track, could be the only option.

Down in the capital Juan Mata is suffering from a very similar fate as Jose Mourinho embarks on his second spell with Chelsea in a similar vein to previous clubs. Recent matches would suggest that Mourinho is looking to impose his 4-2-3-1 formation at Chelsea. During his first spell at the club he preferred a 4-3-3 but he seems to freely interchange now. The focal point of this 4-2-3-1 has become the Brazilian Oscar whilst the other player with increased responsibilities is Eden Hazard.

What all this means is that there is no place in the team for Juan Mata, the club’s Player of the Year for the past two years, much to the despair of the fans. Mourinho has openly spoken about how he wants to incorporate Mata but it just isn’t the right time.

Last season Mata topped Chelsea’s performance scoring charts (1,558), was their second top scorer (12) and chief assist maker (12). He was simply sensational but his work off the ball pales in comparison to Hazard and Oscar hence his lack of game time this year. For most Chelsea fans this isn’t enough, Mata is seen by many as the missing spark in this current Chelsea team. His exclusion is becoming more and more a sense of begrudging acceptance as more games pass by without the Spaniard’s inclusion.

Chelsea Top Performance Scorers Last Season

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Incredibly, despite only featuring in seven games this season (without completing a full 90 minutes in any of them) Mata has still created 15 chances. Only Hazard (27), Oscar (17) and Frank Lampard (17) have created more and all three have played considerably more than Mata. The Spaniard’s talent has never been in question but how long can Mourinho keep talking about his attitude? While Chelsea remain unconvincing the questions over Mata inclusion will refuse to go away.

Chelsea Top Chance Creators This Season

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Both players are being linked with moves away in January but in reality neither will move until the summer, if they are to move at all. The real killer for both is that because they’ve barely featured this year whenever they do actually play it can be difficult for them to make an impact. Combine this with the fact that when they do play it is rarely for the full 90 minutes and it is easy to see that neither are being treated particularly fairly by their clubs at the minute.