Mata: We Need To Show Character

Juan Mata spoke to United Uncovered just hours after landing back in Manchester following the Reds' defeat to Fenerbahce in the Europa League. Naturally the Spaniard is hoping for a much better outcome on the club's next trip, to south Wales on Sunday...

You’re obviously pleased with your Player of the Month award but you’re a team player and presumably you would switch any individual accolade for team success. How important is it, then, to get a positive result at Swansea?

We need to, we have to. As I said I’m very happy about this award, I’m enjoying myself on the pitch but I’m a team player and I want us to win football games and I want to keep winning trophies with this club. We have to put the individual terms aside and think as a group and a team and try to perform in a way that we can win a few games in a row especially in the Premier League because that’s where we need to get closer to the top.

The result against Fenerbahce was a disappointing one, but the team have suffered adversity before and bounced back. How much resilience and character is there in the squad?

We need to show personality especially when the moments are not so good and we are having defeats. After that there are very difficult days until the next game so we need to show personality and we need to play well as a team. We need to show all the fans and everyone that we want to win every game and we need to show that passion on the pitch. It’s good for us to come and talk about all we have to do but where we need to talk is on the pitch.

How difficult is Swansea away as a fixture?

There is not an easy game in the Premier League and Swansea are fighting to get away from the relegation places and I think they have a better team than their position shows now. It’s always difficult to play at Swansea but we will try our best.

You scored against them at their place last season but the game ended in defeat unfortunately – what do you remember about the game and your goal?

I remember we took the lead with my goal in the first half and after that we suffered 10 or 20 very bad minutes when they scored the two goals and we lost the game. We know what can happen in these types of games and we need, from the first minute to the last minute, to be compact and try to defend well and obviously try to score more than we have been doing in the last few games.

Swansea have struggled so far and are yet to win at home this season. What have you made of them so far and their record this term?

I don’t really like to look at statistics before you arrive for a game because normally they change! [Smiles] We need to take it as a very important game for us, we need to win football games in the Premier League, and we need to get closer to the top and pick up three points, then three more points. We need to start doing that from this Sunday.

Finally, how important is it to sign off before the international break with a win?

It’s not easy when you go away with your national team and you have 10 days with the bad taste of a bad result so hopefully we can get the three points and we can have this break thinking about coming back and playing against Arsenal with the game against Swansea in our pockets.