Share

Action not words are required, says Mata

Manchester - Manchester United's Spanish international midfielder Juan Mata said it is time for his team to play well rather than talk a good game, starting with Swansea on Sunday.

The 28-year-old -- United's player of the month in a spell of poor results for them and manager Jose Mourinho including a 4-0 hammering by Chelsea -- added the team needed to show character to arrest their dip in form.

United go into the Swansea match on the back of Mourinho slamming their performance in the Europa League 2-1 defeat by Fenerbahce saying they played as if it was a "friendly".

"We need to show personality especially when the moments are not so good and we are having defeats," Mata told 'United Uncovered'.

"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."

Mata, who scored in the corresponding fixture last season but ended up on the losing side, said he paid little attention to the fact Swansea are struggling this term and are second from bottom after 10 games.

United are currently eighth in the table eight points adrift of the leading trio of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

"I don't really like to look at statistics before you arrive for a game because normally they change!" he said smiling.

"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."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
50% - 7 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
50% - 7 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE