Mata Targets Further Momentum

In an exclusive interview for MUTV, Juan Mata looks forward to facing West Bromwich Albion on the back of a game against Watford in which he scored the winning goal and captained Manchester United...

How important was the midweek win over Watford?
I think it was really important, especially because of the other results that happened with our rivals losing points. We had to win that game to stay on track and get closer to the positions above us in the table. One way or another, we did it. It was not the prettiest game but we won and that was the most important thing.

Does it feel like you are gathering momentum now?
Well, I think so. I think in the last four games we are having some momentum. After winning in the FA Cup, the confidence was back and we are playing good football. We are winning, getting good results and we are aiming to keep going and keep getting good results and keep building this momentum.

Juan Mata, Manchester United captain. How does that sound to you?
Good, no? What do you think? (Interviewer: "Very good!") It sounds very good and as I said the other day, I felt really proud and very honoured. If you had told me a few years ago that I was going to be Man United captain, I would have not believed it because it is obviously something very special. I am very honoured to have felt that.

It must be nice to know that the manager has that trust in you to wear the armband...
Yes, I am grateful to him and I told him because obviously we have so many injuries and the captains were not ready to play. Obviously I was ready and grateful to do it.

Did you do anything different on the day, like giving a rousing team-talk or shouting in the tunnel before leading out the team?
No. Especially because we have a very young team, I just tried to give confidence to everyone. Some of the players were playing for the first, second or third time, so I just tried to speak with them. It was great to give them confidence on the pitch.

You scored the winning goal, of course, with a free-kick at the Stretford End, as captain. Does it get any better than that?
No, it does not. It was a perfect night for me. Winning and scoring the goal with a nice free-kick, in that goal, and being the captain, so it was a perfect day.

How are you feeling after playing four games in nine days - tired or still energetic?
I'm feeling alright. I think against Watford we felt a little bit tired in some moments of the game; that's why we couldn't play our greatest football. But we won and now we have a few days to recover before the next game against West Brom, so I think we'll be fine.

Guillermo Varela is one of four players who has played every minute of those last four matches. How pleased are you for him as a young player coming into the team?
I'm very pleased. I'm very happy for him because he is doing very good on the right side. He's going forward, he's defending very well, he's being aggressive and he's playing like he has been playing for 10 years before, which is very difficult when you are young and in a stadium such as Old Trafford. He's a very competitive guy, he's very good for the team and the dressing room as well, so we are very happy for him.

How determined are you to make it five wins in five games, at West Brom on Sunday?
That's what we want. We are so determined to keep going with this good momentum. Obviously we know it's a tough stadium with a tough atmosphere and a difficult team, a physical team. They defended very well against us in the first game, so we'll try to play our best football and to beat them because I think it's very important to keep going with this good momentum.

Are you pleased to see two of your former team-mates, Darren Fletcher and Jonny Evans, playing so well there and playing so regularly?
Yes, I'm happy for them. They are great players but they are even better people. I really like them both and I think every Manchester United fan is happy that they were here and were so successful. They spent a lot of years here, winning trophies, and now they keep playing and enjoying their football in the Premier League.

It's been confirmed that Jonny Evans won't play on Sunday because of injury. Will that be a big loss to them?
Yes, Jonny's a very good defender. He has good ability with both feet, so his left foot is good as well. He was playing as a left-back, so we'll face another player on Sunday, but I wish him the best recovery.

In your position, you're likely to come up against Darren Fletcher in various situations. How long do you think it will be before he trips you up or pushes you to the ground?
Not too long, I'm sure - maybe in the warm-up! But Fletch is a great person. He helped me a lot when I came here two years ago. He was very important and I will always be grateful to him, so it will be nice to see him.

With just 10 games to go in the league, how confident are you that we can finish in the top four?
Well, we feel that we can. These last two weeks were very good for us. We are so determined to finish the season in a good way, which means we are within the four positions and we can play Champions League next season. We have a chance as well to play Champions League by winning the Europa League and with the FA Cup, we have another objective to win a trophy. So we have three different competitions to play in and we'd like to finish as well as we can in every one.

Manchester City away is our next league game after West Brom. Do you feel like that could be a decisive game for us?
It will be a very important moment but first of all we have to try to get three points against West Bromwich because if we lose and if City win, it will not be as important as it can be. We need to go step by step and I think we're doing great now.