Spanish playmaker in the blue kit, signed from Valencia and has created more goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates than anyone else in the league. No, it's not David Silva, but his former teammate at the Mestalla, Juan Mata. While that notable statistic is remarkable itself, it's also remarkable that Mata is often deployed on the wing, rather than through the middle like most other players classed as "playmakers". That being said, he is hardly the only one in that situation.
Placing a creative player on the wing, rather than through the middle, seems like a curious tactical decision. In other parts of Europe, the term trequartista is common, and often attributed to attacking midfielders and deep-lying forwards who dictate the tempo of their team. Francesco Totti is perhaps a great example of this kind of player. In the BPL though, we regularly see Mata playing on the left wing for Chelsea, and the same goes for Samir Nasri at Man City. The Frenchman is, of course, playing in the same side as the premier trequartista in the league so it may be hard for him to find a place in the side otherwise. That being said, his best moments for Arsenal in the past came when a certain Cesc Fabregas was missing and he was shifted central. You could even say the same for the current fans favourite at the Emirates, Andrei Arshavin. Once the hottest property in European football, the Russian has been reduced to a bit part player, booed and jeered by his own supporters. But it's worth noting, again, that he played his best - at Zenit and for Russia - when deployed in a central position and not on the left wing, opposite a mostly hapless Theo Walcott on the other side.
There are others too, of course. Rafael van der Vaart is arguably Tottenham's best player, but even he is sometimes tasked to play on the right wing, rather than "in the hole" behind Adebayor (or Peter Crouch last season). The same goes for Niko Kranjcar, who almost never gets to play in the middle of the park given the presence of van der Vaart and/or Luka Modric (who has received more passes than anyone else in the league). Mikel Arteta, while at Everton, played many games on the right wing. Now at Arsenal, many have said he is no replacement for Fabregas but the stats show that in the games he has started, they've picked up significantly more points per game than when he is missing. No surprise, he plays at the heart of the Gunners' midfield and has been subtly sublime.
And so the likes of Arshavin and Nasri have been criticised for their lack of contribution to their respective sides, while Juan Mata sometimes remains only on the periphery of the game and the leader boards.
Conversely, Some other teams and their managers - for whatever reason, recognise the importance of a central playmaker. Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle's outstanding purchase from French champions Lille, never strays from the middle of the park. Paul Scholes, save a few outings for England on the left wing, is the same (pre and post retirement). Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Pavel Nedved and Andrea Pirlo are other prominent examples alongside the likes of Joe Allen as less-heralded, modern-day editions of midfield metronomes. You may argue that that's at least partially because they lack another attributes (such as pace) to be placed on the wings at all, but isn't it more because they are simply devastating in the middle of the field, while not nearly so anywhere else?
There are times where converting someone from a central player to a winger proves a great move. Gabriel Agbonlahor is a fine example of such - an athelete who possesses great pace and power while perhaps lacking panache. A player we've analysed many times, the general consensus is that he is much more effective out wide simply because of his physical attributes, which far outweigh his "football intelligence" - a statement often attributed to folk like Gabriel Obertan, Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon as well. So it seems almost self-explanatory, surely, that a team should have its most "intelligent" player in the heart of the midfield. With the Super Bowl still fresh in recent memory (for those of us interested...), you have the traditional quarterback, key to just about any offensive play, in the middle of the pitch as well.
It's worth noting, obviously, that there have been instances where a playmaker or dazzlingly creative player on the wings benefitted a team to great effect. A young Cristiano Ronaldo and a younger Lionel Messi for Manchester United and Barcelona respectively were frighteningly good on the right flank. But then you realise that since Ronaldo has moved to Madrid and Guardiola has switched Messi to his central attacker, they have been that much more brilliant. And so it's a very real point for many managers past and present to examine the players they have at their disposal and decide if, by playing someone as a winger, all he is doing is clipping their wings.
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