Crazy sheep, you are the odd one out: EPL misfits poll (Southampton or better)

of the ones that ought to be performing better than they are i dunno if any of them will improve at their current clubs - the idea of Moyes knowing what to do with Kagawa for example seems a vanishing fantasy now. feel like Jelavic is due tho.

yeah jelavic could do well depending on what club he goes to (if he goes). bendtner will get a few more goals this season.

PSG put in a bid for Mata

god i didn't see Mata on the list - really hoping somebody frees him from Mourinho's workhouse

Feel like Mata is the only one actually being diminished by his current travails. With Kagawa or Lamela you blame the club, with Aspas or whoever you can see them stepping down a level and banging them in, but with Mata I feel like the attitude is becoming 'Mourinho's found him out'.

Would be nice to see Jovetic get integrated into City's revolving cast of attacking talent later in the season when the games are starting to pile up. Him and Lamela were the two new signings I was most looking forward to seeing this season.

idk if it's fair to blame the club for Lamela's situation though, that doesn't feel like a case of an unadventurous manager not being prepared to or not knowing how to make use of a potential attacking asset, as with Moyes/Kagawa.

As for Mata, it still feels like the prevailing attitude is shifting a bit, but I don't agree with the "Mourinho's found him out" thing. More like people are no longer just bemused at Mourinho's refusal to make use of him so much as they are infuriated by this kind of boring pragmatism. People haven't forgotten that he was their best player for two years.

yeah, i still fundamentally like Mourinho and don't really doubt his methods but it's horrible watching him undervalue a player like Mata because he doesn't fit into the plan

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As for Mata, it still feels like the prevailing attitude is shifting a bit, but I don't agree with the "Mourinho's found him out" thing. More like people are no longer just bemused at Mourinho's refusal to make use of him so much as they are infuriated by this kind of boring pragmatism. People haven't forgotten that he was their best player for two years.

― Windsor Davies, Monday, 6 January 2014 11:53 (Yesterday)

yeah anyone who thinks mata has been found out after being systematically fucked around and subtly or not so subtly disparaged in one of mourinho's typical power games hasn't really been paying attention

he is playing oscar at #10 because oscar is the most defensively disciplined and tenacious #10 in football, the only one who would be getting into a fight with lucas in the 92nd minute after chasing him down in the opposition half

he is not comparable in terms of traditional #10 virtues and a less cowardly manager would play oscar as a deep lying midfielder with a drone alongside him and allow mata to play ahead of them, at least vs the lesser teams who chelsea have struggled to break down this season

treating ozil like joe cole

wonder if abramovich cares enough any more to make anything of it

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