Mata was hooked after ignominy of being hooked after 56 minutes at Everton…
Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata was devastated by Jose Mourinho’s decision to substitute him after 56 minutes after this weekend’s defeat to Everton, reports the Mail on Sunday.
Mata was embarrassed and disappointed by his manager’s actions, and is desperate to leave Chelsea when the transfer window re-opens.
The 25-year-old Spaniard has been out of favour with the returning Portuguese boss so far this season, but did make his first start in the Premier League for Chelsea’s trip to Goodison Park on Saturday.
After a relatively quiet performance (perhaps understandable with the limited game time he’s got so far), he was hauled off very early in the second half. Chelsea went on to lose 1-0, in what is now the Blues worst start to a Premier League season since Roman Abramovich took over the club ten years ago.
Mourinho’s decision to sub the playmaker proved to many how little he rates Mata – who has undeniably been Chelsea’s best player for the past two seasons. He bagged 18 goals last term and assisted countless more, helping the Blues win the Europa League under Rafa Benitez.
Despite his excellent performances in a Chelsea shirt, Mourinho doesn’t believe Mata has the dynamism needed to track back and perform the defensive duties he requires of his attacking midfielders.
Mata is desperate to leave the club and regain his spot in the Spain squad. He was dropped for their recent World Cup qualifiers by Vincente Del Bosque – and this, combined with the ignominy of being hooked off early by Mourinho, has confirmed Mata’s desire to force through a move away from Stamford Bridge in January.
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