Mata back to his best?

Is Juan Mata returning to the form which saw him win
back-to-back Player of the Year awards in his first two
seasons at Chelsea? Nick Wright takes a look at his
impressive start to the campaign ahead of Manchester
United's Super Sunday showdown with Arsenal…
In the frenzy of excitement surrounding Anthony
Martial, Juan Mata's role in lifting Manchester United to
the summit of the Premier League has been rather
understated. But the Spaniard took centre stage in the
Champions League on Wednesday night, scoring the first
from the spot and then providing a delightful assist for
the second in United's 2-1 win over Wolfsburg.
It's a continuation of his fine start to the season. As well
as this Champions League brilliance, Mata has scored or
assisted half of his team's 12 Premier League goals so
far, and there was plenty to enjoy about his performance
in Saturday's 3-0 win over Sunderland too.
The quick-thinking and vision of his assist for Memphis
Depay's opener against the Black Cats was classic Mata.
Most players would have tried to volley Daley Blind's
raking pass beyond Costel Pantilimon, but United's No 8
had already calculated a safer route to goal. He took
Sunderland's goalkeeper out of the game by shaping to
shoot, before cushioning the ball across the six yard box
for the untracked Memphis to score.
Mata got the goal his performance deserved in the final
minute of the game, and it was another example of what
he does best. Ashley Young's deflected cross was fiercely
struck, but Mata stopped the ball dead with a brilliant
first touch before lifting his finish high into the net. Time
appears to slow down for Mata at times like these, but it
all happened in a split second. Sunderland simply
couldn't keep up.
Mata celebrates scoring Man Utd's third goal against
Sunderland
"Personally, I enjoyed it, especially in the second half,
and I was lucky to score at the end," said Mata after the
game. "I'm feeling very comfortable in this start of the
season, and as soon as the week goes by I'm already
looking forward to the next one, to keep enjoying myself
and competing."
Mata has directly contributed more goals (29) than
anyone at United since his £37.1m move from Chelsea in
January 2014, but it is only recently that he has really
flourished. The 27-year-old was irresistible as Chelsea's
No 10 prior to Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge,
but at United he has been remoulded as a "false right
winger".
Mata has the freedom to drift into central areas, making
him difficult for defenders to pick up and leaving
Matteo Darmian or Antonio Valencia to charge down the
flank on the overlap.