History for Nelfoos

coochiee

Mata and Waine are different sort of players. Waine definitely has more upside, but bigger bodied Mata still better equipped for now to play the lone striker role.

Waine's big work on - both Plymouth & AWs - is getting involved more, especially if he doesn't have much close support up front. He's got to have more touches, more involvement, can't afford to be anonymous. Big test for him these 3 games in France. With no Wood, he's the main man leading the line.

He's got to offer a good outlet for hold up play up front, especially when the team are struggling to escape a hard press. No good if his team mates pump it forward, and he just loses it time and again.

Little bit of cognitive dissonance when comparing Waine's pretty good striker performance this morning to this comment. Waine seems to me a far better hold up player and goal threat than Mata, and those are arguably Mata's best attributes. That's before we even touch on the fact that hitting it long to the striker and hoping is far from our preferred approach.

I don't think Mata is equipped to play any major role at international level at this stage based on what I've seen, but I guess his time in Auckland will tell us more. 

Waine is struggling sure, but in the Championship and still getting minutes whereas Mata isn't even considered good enough for that in the division below, in a league where his more target man style of play is the bread and butter. I don't understand the fact that this is even being discussed, there's daylight between them.