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Manchester United have their man. For just over £37 million, they now own Chelsea’s 2012-13 player of the season.

Ignore for a moment that Mata had trouble finding playing time once Jose Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge, and assume that Manchester United have bought last year’s pristine model – the ideal Mata.

Still just 25 years old, this is a player who is fully in the prime of his career, and can be expected to produce at peak levels over at least the next three to four years.

But how does Mata compare to other creative midfielders bought this season?

Arsenal spunked £42.5 million on their own wizard just before the summer transfer window closed, while Spurs paid a far more frugal £11.5 for Ajax wunderkind Christian Eriksen.

How does last year’s Mata compare to these two newcomers? Let’s look at the stats and find out, but first, a quick chart tutorial to help you understand these visualisations.

Key:Shooting stats start on top and move right. Passing stats start at passing % and cover the bottom . On the left hand side you see “other” useful stats like defensive output, how often a player loses the ball, and successful dribbles. The entire chart has been adjusted to compare player output for every 90 minutes played. Overall, the more area covered, the better the player is performing.

All stats are courtesy of our friends at Opta.

Ideal Mata

Mata’s performances over the last three seasons brought him notice as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe. Whether slotted centrally as a number 10, or drifting out left, his combination of gorgeous passing, set piece mastery, and a canny nose for goal were a joy to behold. Despite that, Mourinho clearly felt Mata didn’t bring enough to the table to merit a constant starting spot as Mata had previously.

This is what Mata’s 2012-13 looked like from a visual perspective.

(Image: StatsBomb)

As you can see from Mata’s chart, he produces a fairly sizeable wedge in the passing stats, including excellent key passes and assist numbers. The axis on goals is skewed because of what players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have done the past few years, but nearly .4 goals per 90 minutes is excellent from an attacking midfielder. Conversion of shots to goals is above league average, but a shooting accuracy of under 40% leaves something to be desired. Neither dribbling, nor defensive work was a big part of Mata’s game.

Looking at this, I would conclude that Juan Mata is really good at creating for other players, pretty good at scoring goals, and not that great at most other things an attacking midfielder might do.

Ozil the Perfectionist

One of the most confusing transfers of the summer (“Arsenal bought another attacking midfielder?!?”) has been one of the catalysts to an unexpectedly long run at the top for the Gunners. By almost every measure, Mesut Ozil was the best player in Europe at creating goals for his teammates before his transfer this summer. But how has he fared thus far in his first season in the Big Smoke?

(Image: StatsBomb)

This is fascinating. Ozil only shoots 1.33 times a game – 22 shots in a bit over 16 full matches this year. Yet when he does shoot, he’s been the best player in the Premier League at forcing a save . The ball has been on target 70% of the time. It makes you wonder why he doesn’t unleash a bit more often, as he’s almost certainly capable of scoring more goals.

Much like Mata, Ozil’s assist and key pass numbers are some of the best in Europe , despite the fact that he’s no longer playing next to Ronaldo, Benzema, and Di Maria. Would these numbers be more impressive if Theo Walcott had been healthy most of the year, or if Olivier Giroud’s lifetime conversion rate were even above league average? Almost certainly. As it is, Arsenal are maybe one key piece short of bringing out the best in Ozil, and potentially turning Ashburton Grove in to Arselona.

Regardless of a dip in player quality around him, and the strong caveat that stats are unlikely to ever truly capture the sublimity of his first touch or Ozil’s understanding of space, Ozil’s production as an attacking midfielder remains outstanding.

New Kid on the Block

Christian Eriksen had a strange 2013. Still only 21, but coming to the end of his contract after winning three straight titles with Ajax, Eriksen found himself strangely bereft of suitors. An undeniable creative talent who had put up seasons of 11, 17, and 13 assists in the Eredivisie by age 20, Eriksen somehow had weird stigmas attached to him suggesting he was lacking in toughness and mental strength . Never one to let a bargain pass him by, Daniel Levy and Spurs snapped the Dane up for just over £11 million.

Since the move to White Hart Lane, he has generally excelled , despite often playing out of position. This includes regular stints out left, as well as a period initially under Tim Sherwood where he seemed to be acting as a deep-lying playmaker. Even so, few people actually seem to be giving Eriksen credit for actually being any good.

(Image: StatsBomb)

Looking at Eriksen’s chart, you see a bit of a cross between Mata and Ozil. His conversion rate is the lowest of the three, but Eriksen’s shooting accuracy is very high, and it’s probably a matter of time before more goals come . Key passes are lower than the other two, but considering that he’s a) been played out of position and b) mostly been playing with Soldado, Paulinho, and Andros Townsend, Eriksen’s production looks good.

He also contributes the most defensively of the three players, and shows the capability of dribbling the ball reasonably well when called upon.

Although fans and pundits alike seem underwhelmed, Christian Eriksen is good now, almost despite a strange season going on around him at Spurs. Given that he’s 21, he will likely get even better.

Is he at Ozil’s level? No . Perhaps no player in Europe barring David Silva really is.

But given how amazing Eriksen was in the Netherlands, and how well he seems to adapting in his first season in England, there’s a strong chance Eriksen can reach those heights .

Oh… and when you consider that Eriksen only cost £11.5M, compared to Juan Mata’s £37.1M, and add on the extra Eriksen gives you in tackling, dribbling, and shooting accuracy, choosing which player you would prefer to have in that equation is a legitimately difficult choice.

(Image: StatsBomb)

poll loading So, who is better? 0+ VOTES SO FAR Juan Mata Mesut Ozil Christian Eriksen

Regular Old Numbers

For those who don’t like the new-fangled graphics and want to see the players compared in a more traditional style, I give you this.

Note: All stats are adjusted per 90 minutes played.

