Why Juan Mata Needs More Game Time at Chelsea

Juan Mata's situation at Chelsea has been the hottest talking point at Stamford Bridge this season. After a summer of speculation linking the midfield maestro with a move away from West London, Jose Mourinho stated that Mata needs to adapt his game if he is to regain his place in the starting XI.

The Special One likes his teams to attack and defend as a unit, and Mata's limited defensive contribution is what saw him benched. Although the supporters are reluctant to question Mourinho's judgement, there are plenty of reasons why he should be giving Mata more minutes on the pitch.

After an assist against League Two outfit Swindon Town in the Capital One Cup, Mata was recalled to the matchday squad for the derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last Saturday. Spurs more than held their own in the first half as they managed to counter any attack that the Blues started, and they went into the break 1-0 up.

Mourinho sent Mata on for the second half as he shifted his tactics, and within 10 minutes the Spaniard had the ball in the net. Although he was offside, this spurred him on and just a few minutes later his wonderful free kick was steered home by John Terry, giving Chelsea a point that his intervention deserved.

Chelsea relied on Mata far too heavily last season, but when a player has such an impact on games, it makes sense to keep him fit and happy.

Mata joined Chelsea in 2011 and has been voted as the fans’ Player of the Year two years running. There have been a lot of comparisons between him and the legendary Gianfranco Zola whom the supporters adored.

His skill and smile have delighted the supporters since he joined. Although he doesn’t have a song, despite valiant attempts by some fans on forums, he knows how much the fans adore him. And that is exactly why…

As well as delighting supporters around the world with his sublime skills and eye for a goal, Mata regularly blogs for the official Chelsea website. Written in both Spanish and English, he gives a behind the scenes insight into the day-to-day aspects of being a footballer at Chelsea, alongside a few tips for visitors to London. 

Winning the Champions League in his first season was the perfect welcome, and has obviously created a strong bond between Mata and the club. Despite his lack of game time, he told Chelsea TV in September:

It's normal in every transfer window that there are lots of rumours but I'm happy here, it's been a very, very good two seasons for me here, maybe the best of my career, and what I want this season is the same. I'm looking forward to achieving as many trophies as we did the last two seasons and hopefully this is going to be a good season for us again.

Mata may be adored by fans and pundits alike in England, but he has faced a far tougher time when it comes to playing for Spain.

Competition for places in the attacking midfield role at Chelsea is certainly fierce, but Los Rojas present an even bigger conundrum. With the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Jesus Navas and Santi Cazorla available, Mata needs to impress for his club to stand a chance of representing his country at the 2014 World Cup.

All of the rumours in the summer window suggested that Mata would leave for another top European club. Regardless of whether Chelsea would be insane enough to sell him to a Premier League rival, there is no doubt that he would end up playing against the Blues in one competition or another.

Whilst the Blues are hardly lacking in midfield talent, they can’t afford to bolster their rivals with the class and quality that the playmaker brings to the side.

Mata has shown willing to adapt his style of play, and besides his assist against Spurs he made one successful tackle. This improvement has seen him reinstated to the starting lineup for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Steaua Bucharest.

The supporters may not have liked the tough-love treatment dished out by Mourinho, but Mata is working harder than ever to prove himself to the boss. That increase in work rate can only be good for the player, and the squad as a whole. Despite the doubts, this whole saga has proven that they don’t call Mourinho The Special One for nothing.