“I mean, Steve made really good decisions in the whole season that led us to be the Premiers but yes, I think he identified really well my characteristics and he dropped me off a little bit. He put me another player there so we have more presence in the opposition box. Someone who also makes more forward runs maybe and I can be more in touch with the ball. It was a really, really good decision.”
That other player was, of course, Max Mata. A tall, strong, typical number nine who is really good in the air and holds the ball up well. The finishing can be a little erratic at times but he proved his goal scoring bonafides while playing for Sligo Rovers in Ireland. The thing with May, as he confirms in that interview (though you can figure it out simply by watching him play) is that he doesn’t see himself as a striker. He thinks of himself as an attacking midfielder so to have someone else leading the line really freed him up to play his most natural game. Mata also perfectly fitted Auckland FC’s physical and cross-heavy approach by giving them a target and another aerial presence.
Due to recurring injury niggles, Max Mata only played about a third of the season so he’s not the bloke that most people would think of if you asked them who the team’s most influential player was. But there’s nobody else in the squad, not a soul, whose on/off numbers are as drastically positive as this...
AFC with Max Mata on the pitch:
800 MIN | 22 G | 8 GA | +14 GD | 2.48 G/90 | 0.90 GA/90 | +1.58 GD/90
AFC without Max Mata on the pitch:
1630 MIN | 27 G | 21 GA | +6 GD | 1.49 G/90 | 1.16 GA/90 | +0.33 GD/90
That’s a whole extra goal scored per ninety minutes with Mata involved.
