The player agent who brought Juan Mata to the A-League has teed off at Western Sydney Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic for failing to build his team around the Spanish star.
The player agent who brought Juan Mata to the Western Sydney Wanderers has taken aim at coach Alen Stajcic for failing to build his team around the former Premier League star, saying it was “insane” and “disrespectful” to leave the marquee man languishing on the bench., having played just 19 games for his two previous clubs – Turkey’s Galatasaray and Japan’s Vissel Kobe – at an average of just 27 minutes per appearance.
Mata was brought on as a substitute in the 84th minute of the Wanderers’ 4-1 win over the Newcastle Jets on Friday night, touching the ball seven times and completing five of his six attempted passes as a defensive midfielder. Stajcic said the decision to not start him was made in the best interests of the “balance of the team”, and that he was still assessing which players fitted in which positions, praising Mata for his display once he came on.
“And we’re talking about A-League intensity. You must be kidding. Put horses on the pitch, they will be running – but they can’t kick a ball, and they can’t play. They can’t pass the ball. Seriously, I’m disgusted to hear that kind of stuff.”in future could be damaged if Mata was to leave Western Sydney after a negative experience, and that coaches and other players around the competition had expressed their bewilderment about the situation to him.
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