Mata: No Time To Mourn Derby Defeat

Each and every Monday during the season, Manchester United ace Juan Mata pens a personal blog. In this week's entry he says there is no time to mourn defeat in the Manchester derby as he anticipates the Champions League draw...

Hi everyone,

We’re starting yet another busy week with two more games; in this month of December, there’s no truce. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish the week as we expected since the derby at Old Trafford didn’t work out as we wanted. City took the lead, we tied the score before the break but, in the second half, we couldn’t overcome their second goal. We were close, but in the chances we had, the ball just didn’t go in. The truth is these are three points like in any other game, although the defeat is painful because it was a derby. We must carry on, knowing that there’s still a long way to go. The calendar gives you no time for mourning and we have to focus on what’s next.

This week, we have two more games: the day after tomorrow against Bournemouth, and Sunday against West Brom. The list of fixtures is very demanding this month so it’s important to get to each game in the best condition possible. I think we have the ability to do it, even though we know these are the toughest weeks of the season. We are Manchester United and we have experience in playing every few days. In fact, last week we came back to beat CSKA Moscow in the Champions League and secure the first spot of our group. It was the best way to finish what has been a very good group stage for us.

Thanks to that, precisely, this morning we will keep an eye on the draw for the round of 16 that is taking place at 11:00 GMT. Personally I have no preference, but I think being in the draw as first of our group is already important. So we will see the draw and then we will already focus our attention on the game against Bournemouth.

Have a nice week.

Hugs,

Juan