Juan Mata will tell you he had his best season in England playing as the No.10 in Rafael Benitez’s Chelsea team. But the two occasions he’s played centrally for Van Gaal this season – against PSV Eindhoven and Watford – he’s struggled to have any impact.
When he plays on the right he drifts inside and drags defenders with him. But at Vicarage Road it looked like he got swamped by Watford’s midfield and it was no surprise when he was hooked in the second half.