Manchester United vs. Tottenham: Why Juan Mata Has to Start for the Red Devils

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur is a fixture which has the potential to capture the imagination of football fans everywhere. It is a clash between two sides whose history and identity are interwoven with dramatic, exciting, attacking football.

It has been a matchup which has often produced games with plenty of goals, comebacks and superb attacking play.

On Sunday, United need to beat Spurs. Both teams are in the running for a Champions League spot, and United's narrow three-point advantage over the north Londoners means there is no room for complacency. A Spurs win would see them level on points with United.

If United and Spurs draw, then Liverpool would have the opportunity to draw level on points if they beat Swansea City on Monday night, and with United's run-in, that could be fatal to their Champions League chances.

Although the cup defeat to Arsenal last Monday night surely stung, in truth, there were some positives to take from the game. United's first-half performance was good, and the attacking unit worked well.

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All that changed at half-time when Michael Carrick replaced Ander Herrera and United's midfield became separated from its attack.

That gap, combined with the presence of Marouane Fellaini, meant United once again reverted to playing long passes forward, seeking out the big Belgian. If Mata had been on the field rather than Fellaini, he could have more effectively linked midfield and attack.

It is time to drop Fellaini from United's starting line-up once and for all. In United's last three games, he has played as part of a front two with Wayne Rooney.

While Louis van Gaal presumably prizes Fellaini's physicality and ability to hold the ball up in the final third, his lack of creativity and technical ability are limiting United's ability to execute on Van Gaal's patient, possession-based approach.

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Fellaini has some value as a late-game battering-ram style forward, as has been shown several times this season. Playing him from the start—ahead of Juan Mata who has not started a game since 3 February against Cambridge United—makes United considerably less pleasant to watch.

Neither is it particularly effective in an attacking sense. As a No. 10, a key part of the job is creating chances for other players. Fellaini is averaging 0.6 key passes per game in the Premier League this season. Mata averages 1.3.

Mata has five goals and three assists in 1495 minutes of league football—an average of a direct contribution to a goal every 186.8 minutes. Fellaini has three goals and no assists in 1074 minutes of league football, averaging 358 minutes per direct contribution.

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To put it another way, Mata is contributing directly to a goal almost once every two full games he plays, on average. For Fellaini, the figure is just under once every four full games he plays on average.

Fellaini is also more profligate than Mata, statistically speaking, taking an average of 1.5 shots per league game to Mata's 0.9, for a smaller goal return.

Van Gaal's treatment of Mata has been confusing to watch. Perhaps he values Fellaini's physicality—he makes an average of 2.4 tackles per league game to Mata's 0.8. He, unsurprisingly, commits many more fouls, 2.1 per league game to Mata's 0.7.

However, in spite of Fellaini's superior strength, he is also dispossessed more frequently than Mata, 1.4 times per average league game to Mata's 1.

As well as all the statistical superiority Mata enjoys, there is the simple question of aesthetics and style. On a personal level, I enjoy watching the way Mata plays far more than the way Fellaini plays. It is certainly more likely to create moments of excitement and endeavour of the kind which have long been associated with this particular fixture.

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Mata is more effective at creating chances, retaining possession, has a better return of goals and assists and, subjectively, is more enjoyable to watch. Whatever physicality Fellaini adds, it is not enough to compensate for what is lost in preferring him to Mata.

Van Gaal must play Juan Mata against Spurs and make him a key part of United's side during the run-in. His goals and assists could be absolutely crucial.

All stats via WhoScored.com unless otherwise indicated